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LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,     N.    J. 


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'  ■^  V 


COMMENTAEY  Xi^. 


ON    THE 


HOLY    SCRIPTURES: 

ORITTCAL,  DOCTRmAL,  AND  HOMILETICAL. 

WITH  SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO  MINISTERS  AND  STUDENTS 

BT 

JOHl^   PETER 'I^AISTGE,  D.  D., 

OEDINABT  PKOnSSOB  OF  THEOLOGY  IN  THE  UNIVERSITT  OF   BONN, 
ai  CY»nnuTioii  WITH  a  number  of  KHINSST  KCROPEAK  TUVatM 

TRANSLATED,   ENLARGED,   AND  EDITED 


PHILIP   SOHAFF,  D.  D., 

PROFESSOR   OF  THEOLOGY   IN  THE  UNION   THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.   NEW   YORK, 
IB     OOmreCriON     with     AMERICAX     SOHOT^ARS     of     VARTODS     KVANOELICAL     DENOMIHATtOaS. 


70^nM£  XIV.  OTf  the  old  testament:  containing  the  minor  prophets 


IsEW  YOKlv: 
CHARLES    SCRIBKER'S    SUNS, 

1899 


THE 


MINOE  PROPHETS 


KXEGETICALLY,  THEOLOGICALLY.   AND   HOMILETICALLY 


EXPOUNDED 


PAUL    KLEINERT,   OTTO    SCHMOLLER, 

GEORGE   R.  BLISS,  TALBOT  W.  CHAMBERS,   CHARLES  ELLICTT, 

JOHN   FORSYTH,  J.  FREDERICK   McCURDY,  AND 

JOSEPH   PACKARD. 


EDITED  BY 

PHILIP   SCHAFF,  D.  D. 


NEW   YORK: 

CHARLES     SCRIBNER'S     SONS. 

1699 


BMend  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  vear  1874,  Or 

ScRiBNER,  Armstrong,  aitd  Company, 
n  tbe  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  WataiuagUm, 


Trow's 
Printing  and  Bookbinding  Company, 
205-213  /iasi  11th  St., 

NKW     YORK. 


PREFACE  BY  THE   GENERAL  EDITOR 


The  volume  on  the  Minor  Prophets  is  partly  in  advance  of  the  German  original, 
which  has  not  yet  reached  the  three  post-exilian  Prophets.  The  commentaries  on  the  nine 
earlier  Prophets  by  Professors  Kleinert  and  Sohmoller  appeared  in  separate  numberi 
some  time  ago  ^ ;  but  for  Haggai,  Zechariah,  and  Malachi,  Dr.  Lange  has  not,  to  this  date, 
been  able  to  secure  a  suitable  co-laborer.^  With  his  cordial  approval  I  deem  it  better  to 
complete  the  volume  by  original  commentaries  than  indefinitely  to  postpone  the  publication. 
They  were  prepared  by  sound  and  able  scholars,  in  conformity  with  the  plan  of  the  whole 
work. 

The  volume  accordingly  contains  the  following  parts,  each  one  being  paged  separately :  — 

1.  A  General  Introduction  to  the  Prophets,  especially  the  Minor  Prophets,  by 
Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Exegesis  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  The 
general  introductions  of  Kleinert  and  Schmoller  are  too  brief  and  incomplete  for  our  purpose, 
and  therefore  I  requested  Dr.  Elliott  to  prepare  an  independent  essay  on  the  subject. 

2.  HosEA.  By  Rev.  Dr.  Otto  Schmoller.  Translated  from  the  Grennan  and  en- 
larged by  James  Frederick  McCurdy,  M.  A.,  of  Princeton.  N.  J. 

3.  Joel.  By  Otto  Schmoller.  Translated  and  enlarged  by  Rev.  John  Forstth, 
D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Chaplain  and  Professor  of  Ethics  and  Law  in  the  United  States  Military 
Academy,  West  Point,  N.  Y. 

4.  Amos.  By  Otto  Schmoller.  Translated  and  enlarged  by  Rev.  Talbot  W 
Chambers,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  Collegiate  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  New  York. 

5.  Obadiah.  By  Rev.  Paul  Kleinert,  Professor  of  Old  Testament  Theology  in  the 
University  of  Berlin.  Translated  and  enlarged  by  Rev.  George  R.  Bliss,  D.  D.,  Professor 
in  the  University  of  Lewisburg,  Pennsylvania. 

6.  Jonah.  By  Prof.  Paul  Kleinert,  of  the  University  of  Berlin.  Translated  and  en- 
larged by  Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  Professor  of  Biblical  Exegesis  in  Chicago.' 

7.  MicAH.  By  Prof.  Paul  Kleinert,  of  Berlin,  and  Prof.  George  R.  Bliss,  of  Lewit* 
burg. 

8.  Nahum.  By  Prof.  Paul  Kleinert,  of  Berlin,  and  Prof.  Charles  Elliott,  of 
Chicago. 

9.  Habakkuk.     By  Professors  Kleinert  and  Elliott. 

1  Obadjah,  Jonah,  Mieha,  Nahum,  HabaJcuk,  Zephanjak.  Wissenshafilieh  undfitt  den  Oebraueh  der  Kirche  ausgeUgt  *om 
Paul  Kuonebt,  Pfarrer  zu  St.  Gertraud  und  a.  Pro/esaor  an  der  UniversitiU  zu  Berlin.  Bielefeld  u.  Leipzig,  1868.  —  Du 
Propheten  Hoxea,  Joel  und  Amos.  Theologiseh-homiletiscA  bearbeitet  von  Orto  Sohhollbb,  Lieent.  der  Theologie,  Diaeontu 
m  Uraeh.  Bielef.  und  Leipzig,  1872. 

3  Tlie  commentary  of  Rev.  W.  Pbbssei,  on  tliese  three  Propheta  (Die  naehexiliseJun  Propheten,  GJotha,  1870)  WM 
originally  prepared  for  Lange's  Bible-work,  bnt  was  rejected  by  Dr.  Lange  mainly  on  acconnt  of  Pressel's  views  on  tba 
genuineness  and  integrity  of  Zechariali.  It  was,  however,  independently  published,  and  was  made  use  of^  like  other 
eonunentaries,  by  the  authors  of  the  respective  sections  in  this  volume. 

8  Or.  Elliott  desires  to  render  hia  actuiowledgments  to  the  Rev.  Reuben  Dederiok,  of  Chicago,  and  the  Ber.  Ja«ok 
Lotke,  of  Faribault,  Minnesota,  for  valuable  assistance  in  translatinR  some  difficult  passkges  in  KleinarfB  OranmentuiM 
•n  Jonah,  Naiium,  and  Habakkuk. 


PREFACE   BY   THE   GENERAL  EDITOR. 


10.  Zephaniah.     By  Professors  Kxeinert  and  Elliott. 

11.  Haggai.     By  James  Frederick  McCurdy,  M.  A.,  Princeton,  N.  J. 

12.  Zecharlah  By  Rev.  Talbot  W.  Chambers,  D.  D.,  New  York.  (See  special 
preface.) 

13.  Malachi.  By  Rev.  Joseph  Packard,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  in 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  Alexandria,  Virginia. 

The  contributors  to  this  volume  were  directed  carefully  to  consult  the  entire  ancient  and 
modern  literature  on  the  Minor  Prophets  and  to  enrich  it  with  the  latest  results  of  Grerman 
and  Anglo-American  scholarship. 

The  remaining  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  are  all  under  way,  and  will  be  published  ai 
fast  as  the  nature  of  the  work  will  permit. 

PHILIP   SCHAFF. 

Dmos  TsaoioGKM  Sswhaii,  Nnw  Yosa.  .  -i-.iuiri/,  1874. 


THE 


BOOK  OF  ZEPHANIAH. 


EXPOUI^DED 


PAUL  ^LETISTEET, 


VISTOE  AT   9T.  QKRIKAin),  AND   PROFB330R  OF  OLD  TE3TAMKNT  THIOLOOT  IH  T] 
DNIVBB9ITT  OK   BERLIN 


TRANSLATED  AND    ENLARGED 


CHARLES  ELLIOTT,  D.  D., 

>B  or  BIBUOAL  UTKKATURK  IN  THE  PRKSBTTKRIAN  THBOIiOOIOAI.  tUtmiTABT  AT  OHIOAaO, 


.    NEW  YOKK: 
CHARLES     SCRIBNER'S     SONS, 


ZEPHANIAH. 


INTRODUCTION. 

1.  Author  and  Date. 

Zbphaniah  (Jehovah  hides,  t.  e.,  protects ;  LXX.  Vulg. :  Sophonias)  [Jerome  derivea  tba 
name  from  nD!J  and  supposes  it  to  mean  speculator  Domini,  "  watcher  of  the  Lord  "  —  C.  E.] 
gives,  in  the  heading  prefixed  to  his  prophecy,  of  the  authenticity  of  which  there  is  no 
reason  to  doubt,  fuller  notices  of  his  person  and  time  than  Nahum  and  Habakkuk.  He 
traces  his  descent  back  through  four  generations  to  one  Hezekiah.^  If,  from  his  subjoining 
this  genealogy,  we  may,  with  Cyril,  draw  the  conclusion  that  the  prophet  was  ovk  ao-rjixos  to 
Kara  crapKa  yc'vos  (Hieron. :  gloriosa  majorum  stirpe  ortus^,  then  it  follows  still  more  cer- 
tainly from  the  circumstance  of  his  concluding  with  the  name  of  Hezekiah,  that  he  lays  an 
emphasis  upon  the  fact  of  his  being  directly  descended  from  him ;  and  hence  a  great  num- 
ber of  modern  exegetes  following  the  lead  of  Aben  Ezra  (on  Joel  i.  1),  have  rightly  consid- 
ered this  ancestor  the  king  of  the  same  name,  so  that  Zephaniah  would  be  descended  from 
royal  blood.  If  Carpzov,  Jahn,  De  Wette  object  to  this,  that  between  Hezekiah  and  Josiah, 
under  whom  Zephaniah  prophesied,  only  two  generations  (Manasseh,  Amon)  existed,  Keil 
has  justly  referred  [to  meet  the  objection]  to  the  long  reign  of  Manasseh.  The  objection 
of  Delitzsch,  that  if  Hezekiah  were  the  king  [of  that  name],  it  would  have  been  indicated 
by  appending  his  official  title,  does  not  likewise  absolutely  disprove  it.  Zechariah,  i.  1, 
mentions  his  ancestor  Iddo  (comp.  Neh.  xii.  4),  only  by  name,  not  by  office ;  and  yet  Iddo 
was  a  priest,  and  a  distinguished  one,  as  we  may  conclude  from  the  fact  that  Ezra,  v.  1, 
(comp.  vi.  14),  passing  over  an  intermediate  member  [of  the  genealogy]  designates  Zecha- 
riah directly  as  the  son  of  Iddo.  Finally,  the  fables  of  the  Pseudo-Dorotheus  and  Pseudo- 
Epiphanius,  which  assign  this  prophet,  like  Nahum  and  Habakkuk,  to  the  tribe  of  Simeon, 
deserve  no  consideration. 

The  prophecy,  according  to  the  heading,  falls  in  the  reign  of  King  Josiah,  641-610.  That 
the  few  points  of  contact  with  Habakkuk  (undoubtedly  there  is  but  one,  i.  6,  comp.  Hab.  ii. 
20 ;  for  the  evening  wolves,  iii.  3,  comp.  Hab.  i.  8,  stand  here  in  an  entirely  different  connec- 
tion) afford  no  ground  to  place  Zephaniah  in  the  time  of  Habakkuk  and  consequently  after 
the  death  of  Josiah,  has  already  been  proved  in  the  Introduction  (2)  to  Habakkuk.  They 
fall  under  the  same  point  of  view  as  the  far  more  frequent  points  of  contact  with  Ezekiel, 
Zechariah,  and  Malachi,  which  are  noted  in  the  exegetical  interpretation.  On  the  other 
hand  it  is  evident  from  ii.  13,  that  the  destruction  of  Nineveh  is  to  the  pi-ophet  still  in  the 
future ;  and  the  descriptions  of  the  condition  of  the  times  correspond  in  many  ways  to  the 
parallel  ones  of  the  first  period  of  Jeremiah,  who  began  (Jer.  i.  2)  to  prophesy  in  the 
thirteenth  year  of  Josiah.      By  both  documents  is  the  statement  of  the  heading  confirmed. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  doubtful,  in  what  period  of  the  reign  of  Josiah,  which  continued 
thirty-one  years,  this  prophecy,  which  by  its  internal  coherence  (see  below  3)  is  proved  to 
be  a  unit,  is  to  be  placed.  Josiah  began  to  reign  when  he  was  eight  years  of  age ;  and 
when  the  kingdom  was  in  a  very  ruinous  condition  by  the  evil  influence  of  Manasseh  and 
Amon.  As  early  as  his  sixteenth  year,  the  heart  of  this  youth  turned  to  the  Lord  ( 2  Chron. 
xxxiv.  3)  ;  and  as  soon  as  he  had  grown  to  energetic  manhood,  this  pious  man  commenced  a 
decided  activity  for  the  religious   and  moral  elevation  of  the  popular  life.     By  this  reform 

1  [The  A.  y.  has  Hiskiah  ;  but  Hiskiah  anl  Hezekiah  have  the  lame  form  in  the  original  There  is  no  reason,  ther» 
tore,  for  a  different  orthography.  —  C.  K.1 


ZEPIIANIAH. 


his  reign  is  divided  into  two,  more  strictly  considered,  into  three  great  periods  of  a  distinct 
character.  Namely,  the  narrative  of  the  Book  of  Kings,  according  to  which  the  reforma- 
tory activity  is  concentrated  into  the  eighteenth  year  of  the  king's  reign  (2  Kings  xxiii.  1  ff 
21  if.),  receives  a  more  minute  statement  by  the  more  detailed  account  in  Chronicles,  accord* 
ing  to  which  the  first  measures  of  the  king  against  idolatry  began  as  soon  as  the  twelfth 
year  of  his  reign  (2  Chron.  xxxiv.  3  fi'.),  whilst  the  positively  final  reforms,  with  reference  to  it, 
of  which  the  Book  of  Kinos  gives  an  account,  are  crowded  into  the  eighteenth,  viz.  :  the 
appointment  of  the  Temple  repairs  (2  Chron.  xxxiv.  8  fF.)  and  the  events  which  followed 
the  discovery  of  the  law  on  this  occasion  (2  Chron.  xxxiv.  15  ff. ;  comp.  2  Kings  xxii.  8  ff.)  ; 
the  consultatiim  of  the  prophetess  Huldah  (2  Chron.  xxxiv.  20  ff.),  the  convocation  of  the 
people  (29  ff.),  and  the  feast  of  the  Passover  (2  Chron.  xxxv.  1  ff".). 

Accordingly  we  have  one  period  before  the  reform  (1-11  year  of  [Josiah's]  reign)  ;  one 
after  the  reform  (19-31);  and  the  reformation  period  itself  (12-18)  between  them.  To 
place  the  prophecy,  as  H.  Ewald  and  Havernick  do,  in  the  first  period,  is  clearly  impracti- 
cable. For  when  the  prophet  (i.  4)  speaks  of  a  remnant  of  Baal,  it  supposes,  that  a  large 
part  of  Baal-worship,  which  was  still  dominant  during  the  reign  of  Amon  and  until  the 
twelfth  year  of  Josiah  (2  Chron.  xxxiii.  22 ;  xxxiv.  4),  had  already  been  overthrown.  The 
prophecy  of  Zephaniah  will,  therefore,  like  the  calling  of  Jeremiah,  certainly  fall  after  the 
twelfth  year  of  Josiah.  Consequently,  the  majority  of  interpreters,  especially  V.  Colin,  Hit- 
zig,  Strauss,  assign  the  prophecy  to  the  reform-period  itself.  However,  various  considerations 
are  against  this.  Certainly  little  importance  is  to  be  attached  to  the  consideration  that  "  the 
king's  sons  "  (i.  8),  of  whom,  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  Josiah's  reign,  Jehoiakim  was  only 
twelve  years  of  age,  Jehoahaz  ten,  and  Zedekiah  not  yet  born  (comp.  Delitzsch  in  Herzoof, 
Real-Enc,  xviii.  p.  500),  could  not  yet  have  exhibited  in  this  period,  the  impious  character 
denounced  by  the  prophet ;  not  for  the  reason  that  characters  are  earlier  developed  in  the 
East,  as  Delitzsch  remarks,  —  for  the  age  of  twelve  and  ten  is  still  too  young  to  furnish  a  ground 
for  this  interpretation,  —  but  because  the  expression,  "  king's  sons,"  is  a  comprehensive  one, 
and  may  designate  generally  princes  of  the  royal  blood  (2  Kings  xi.  2  ;  comp.  ver.  1  ;  2 
Chron.  xxii.  11). 

Another  weightier  reason  seems  to  be  against  it  [placing  the  prophecy  in  the  reform- 
period  —  C.  E.].  The  law,  certainly  Deuteronomy,  is  very  frequently  quoted  in  this  book, 
(comp.  in  the  Com.  i.  13,  15,  17;  ii.  2,  5,  7,  11  ;  iii.  5,  19,  20),  and  so  quoted  as  to  show 
that  the  prophet  needs  only  to  put  [the  people]  in  mind  of  it,  as  something  supposed  to  be 
known.  (Compare  particularly  iii.  20.)  This  could  not  take  place  at  a  time  when  the 
book  of  the  law  was  as  good  as  forgotten  ;  consequently  not  at  the  time  which  preceded  the 
discovery  of  the  book  of  the  law ;  but  it  finds  its  explanation  only  in  the  powerful  impres- 
sion, which  the  reading  of  the  recovered  law  must  have  had  upon  prophets  and  people 
(2  Kings  xxiii.  1  ff.).  For  the  law  seems  to  have  come  already  again  into  public  use,  and  it 
IS  violated  by  the  priests  (iii.  4).  Moreover,  the  entire  book  nowhere  takes  into  view  a  pro- 
motion of  the  royal  reform  (which,  however,  might  be  expected,  if  it  had  been  contempo- 
raneous with  it),  but  it  represents  the  condition  of  the  people  as  a  final  one  (comp.  2  below), 
which  is  irrecoverably  doomed  to  judgment;  and  by  this  as  well  as  by  isolated  references 
\_Wendungen,  turns]  (comp.  i.  18),  the  prophet  presupposes  the  prophecy  of  the  prophetess 
Huldah  (1  Kings  xxii.  16  ff.,  19  ff. ).  We  will  consequently  have  to  come  down  to  the  third 
period  of  the  reign  of  Josiah.  That  there  was  even  in  this  period  a  remnant  of  Baal,  we 
may  conclude  from  2  Kings  xxiii.  34,  where  it  is  said  that  even  after  the  eighteenth  year  of 
his  reign,  the  king  had  still  to  strive  for  the  extirpation  of  idolatry.      Comp.  Ez.  viii.  12. 

Luther :  I  pay  little  regard  to  the  question  raised  by  Hieronymus,  when  not  only  in  this 
place,  but  also  in  others,  he  maintains  in  a  verbose  way,  that  all,  who  are  mentioned  here  as 
ancestors  of  the  prophet,  must  have  been  prophets.  And  the  Hebrews  in  such  matters, 
have  fancied  much,  for  they  are  very  careful  in  unnecessary  things.  I  grant  that  they  may 
have  been  of  the  family  of  the  prophets. 

[Keil  (Introd.  to  the  0.  T.,  vol.  i.  p.  415),  says:  "It  seems  plain,  from  the  notice  of 
the  existing  public  worship  of  Jehovah  (iii.  4,  5),  at  the  same  time  that  he  rebukes  the 
remnant  of  Baal-worship  and  other  idolatry  (i.  4,  5),  as  well  as  from  his  still  awaiting  the 
destruction  of  Nineveh  (ii.  13),  that  he  labored  after  the  reformation  of  worship  had  com- 
menced, but  before  it  was  completed,  —  that  is,  between  the  twelfth  and  the  eighteenth  years 
of  Josiah's  reign  ;  and  that  he  supported  the  pious  king  in  this  work  by  his  exhortations." 
This  corresponds  to  the  second  period  of  Kleinert.  —  C.  E.] 


INTRODUCTION. 


[The  prophecy  of  Zephaniah  dates,  according  to  chap.  i.  1,  at  the  time  during  the  reign 
of  Josiah,  when  the  power  of  the  Chalditans  began  to  assume  a  menacing  attitude. 

I.  It  falls  in  the  earlier  period,  i.  e.,  in  the  hey  inning  of  the  reign  uf  Josiah,  before  he  com- 
menced the  abolition  of  idolatry,  consequently,  betiveen  641-630,  B.  c,  (a)  because  he  [Zeph- 
aniah] declaims  against  idolatry  (ch.  i.  4-6),  but  Josiah  first  undertook  the  reform  of  the 
worship  in  the  twelfth  year  of  his  reign  (Jahn),  and  (b)  the  destruction  of  Nineveh  is  still 
expected.      De  Wette,  Ewald,  I  lav.,  and  others. 

II.  During  the  restoration  of  the  pure  icorship,  consequently  between  630-624  b.  c,  or  between 
the  ticelflh  and  eighteenth  years  of  Josiah' s  reign. 

(a)  The  reform  of  worship,  which  (according  to  2  Chron.  xxxiv.  3-8)  began  in  the 
twelfth  year  of  his  reign,  could  not  have  been  already  finished,  for  —  (a)  according  to  chap.  i. 
4,  compared  with  chap.  iii.  1,  the  idolatrous  (C'^S)  existed  along  with  the  legitimate  priests  ; 
and  (b),  according  to  chap.  i.  4,  5  (bl72rT  "IStp),  Baal  and  the  Host  of  Heaven  were  still  pub- 
licly worshipped  (comp.  2  Kings  xxiii.  4,5),  (comp.  iii.);  the  expression,  "  remnant,"  shows 
that  the  reform  had  ah-eady  begun  (I.),  (b)  The  fall  of  Assyria  and  the  destruction  of 
Nineveh,  which  took  place  in  the  year  625  b.  c.  (?),  are  predicted  as  still  impending.  Wit- 
sius,  V.  Coelln,  Knobel,  Hitzig,  E.  Meier,  Strauss. 

ni.  After  the  renewal  of  the  covenant  with  God,  which  was  joined  with  the  renewal  of  the 
Passover  (2  Chron.  xxxiv.  8-xxxv.  22),  consequently  between  624-609,  because  Zeph., 
chap.  i.  8,  speaks  of  the  king's  sons,  who,  during  the  periods  I.  and  11.,  were  still  in  their 
minority,  and  because  the  law,  found  in  624  b.  c,  is  taken  for  granted  as  known,  Bertheau. 
Klein.  O.  R.  Hertwig's  Tabelleii.  C.  E.] 

2.    Character  of  the  Time, 

If  we  compare  the  delineations  given  by  Zephaniah  of  his  contemporaries  with  those  of 
Jeremiah,  who  lived  at  the  same  time,  the  character  of  the  period  presents  itself  as  bad 
enough.  The  phenomenon,  which  we  observe  in  Micah,  that  sins  attained  to  so  high  a  pitch 
just  under  the  reign  of  the  pious  Hezekiah,  is  repeated  here  in  the  reign  of  the  pious  Josiah. 
To  understand  this  phenomenon  we  must  call  to  our  aid  the  consideration,  that  wherever  the 
light  rises  clear,  the  darkness  in  comparison  with  it  appears  the  deeper  as  it  rolls  away. 
[The  greater  the  orb  of  light,  the  greater  the  circle  of  surrounding  darkness.  —  C.  E.7, 
During  the  very  time  of  the  kings  who  promoted  the  reformation,  the  prophets  had  a  two- 
fold motive  to  accuse,  before  God  and  man,  the  ungodly  of  their  incorrigible  opposition. 

The  king  to  be  aure  is  not  a  despiser  of  God,  but  his  nearest  relations  are  ;  and  the 
abandonment  of  the  national  religion  and  morals  has  its  central  place  (i.  8)  in  the  sphere  of 
the  men  of  rank.  The  law  exists,  but  since  the  ruling  classes  are  corrupt  (iii.  3  f.,  compare 
Jer.  ii.  8),  it  is  the  same  as  if  it  did  not  exist:  it  exists  for  abuse  and  oppression  (iii.  4, 
compare  Jer.  viii.  8  f.).  The  service  of  Jehovah  is  publicly  reestablished :  his  worship  is 
officially  purified ;  but  the  Baals,  and  Molochs,  and  the  host  of  heaven  sit  enthroned  in  their 
hearts,  by  the  side  of  the  lip-service  of  Jehovah  (i.  4  f.,  compare  Jer.  vi.  20;  vii.  17  f,). 
And  the  idolaters  are  far  from  concealing  their  idolatry  :  they  have  still  their  priests  and  idol- 
worship  (i.  7  f ),  and  swear  at  the  same  time  to  Jehovah  and  the  idol  (i.  5,  compare  Jer. 
V.  2,  7  ;  vii.  9).  The  service  of  Baal  is  a  remnant,  but  a  powerful  remnant,  which  is  rooted 
in  the  national  character  and  does  not  yield  to  the  good ;  while  the  pure  service  of  Jehovah 
having  become  cryptopaganism  has  lost  the  quickening  power  of  sanctification.  The  proph- 
ets prophesy,  but  not  God's  word  ;  they  utter  their  own  fine-spun  deceits  (iii.  4,  compare 
Jer.  V.  13).  And  in  the  great  mass  of  the  people  the  religious  feeling,  wiiich  Micah  could  still 
recognize,  is  extinct.  Even  among  those,  who  do  not  make  themselves  du-ectly  guilty  of 
idolatry,  many  are  actuated  not  by  fidelity  to  God,  but  by  perfect  indifference  (i.  12,  '\ '  A 
perishing  race  and  dead  in  a  living  body,  they  sit  upon  their  money-bags,  and  regard  Jeho- 
vah with  unconcern  (i.  12,  11).  If  Micah's  contemporaries  yet  at  least  still  asked  :  Wherewith 
can  I  reconcile  God  ?  (Micah  vi.)  ;  they  say  :  Jehovah  does  no  good  and  no  evil  (i.  12). 
The)-  are  a  shameless  people  (ii.  1  ;  iii.  5  ;  compare  Jer.  iii.  3;  vi.  16  ff".)  :  the  city  is  rebel- 
lious, polluted,  oppressive  (iii.  1  ;  compare  Jer.  iv.  17  ;  ii.  22  ;  vi.  6).  Everything  that  God 
has  done  for  it  and  is  still  doing  is  thrown  into  the  sieve ;  exhortations  are  fruitless,  so  also 
wrethe  exhibitions  of  power  (iii.  17,  compare  Jer.   ii.  30 ;  v.  3  ;  vi.  9,19).      The 5' receive  iw 


Z,El'ilAJSlAli. 


Jiscipline  willingly  ;  and  it  is  evident  that  even  the  final  efforts  of  the  king  and  of  the  witnessei 
of  God  have  no  efiectual  result.      So  the  punishment  cannot  fail  to  come. 

3.    Summary  of  Contents. 

On  iookina'  over  this  prophecy  we  discover  at  once,  as  its  chief  objects,  both  the  fundamen- 
tal problems  of  all  prophetic  anouuncement,  viz. ,  the  great  day  of  judgment,  to  the  descrip- 
tion of  which  the  first  chapter  is  devoted,  and  the  salvation  connected  with  it,  the  announce- 
ment of  which  forms  the  subject  of  the  third  chapter  from  the  eighth  verse  onward.  Thus 
the  external  structure  of  the  whole  book  is  easily  surveyed.  It  is  divided  into  six  parts,  of 
which  each  one  separately  has  a  very  evident  connection  :  — 

I.  The  Exordium,  i.  1-6.  Announcement  of  the  judgment  of  the  world,  and  the  reason 
of  the  judgment  upon  Israel,  arising  from  the  evil  condition  of  the  present. 

II.  The  description  of  the  judgment,  i.  7-18. 

(a)  In  reference  to  its  objects,  7-13. 

(b)  In  reference  to  its  dreadfulness,  14-18. 
in.  An  exhortation  to  seek  God,  ii.  1-3. 

IV.  An  announcement  of  the  judgment  upon  the  heathen  nations,  ii.  4-10. 

V.  A  repeated  description   of  the  remediless  miserj'  in  Jerusalem,  iiL  1-7. 

VI.  The  promise  of  salvation,  iii.  8-20. 

(a)  The  salvation  of  the  heathen  following  the  judgment,  8-10. 

(b)  The  purification  of  Israel,  11-13. 

(c)  The  salvation  of  Israel,  14-20. 

It  is  now  a  question  whether  these  parts,  connected  in  themselves,  but  in  relation  to  each 
other  very  much  disunited,  stand  related  to  one  another  by  an  internal  connection.  Exegetes 
place  as  the  foundation  of  the  collective  view  the  division  into  chapters,  and  thus  obtain  three 
great  divisions,  without,  however,  establishing  thereby  a  connection  of  the  whole  :  the  inco- 
herence of  the  parts  continues  to  exist  in  the  separate  chapters.  Compare  e.  g.,  the  summary 
of  contents  which  Delitzsch  gives  on  the  ground  of  the  division  into  chapters,  at  the  place 
cited,  p.  494.  Strauss  combines  chapters  ii.  and  iii. ;  Keil  divides  the  book  into  three  sec- 
tions :  i. ;  ii.  7-iii.  6  ;  iii.  8-20  ;  Hitzig,  i.,  ii.,  iii.  1-13,  14-20.  However  these  are  only  im- 
perfect remedies  and  partly  not  even  conformable  to  the  purpose.  Unless  we  are  willing  to 
consider  the  prophecy  a  collection  of  fragments,  to  which,  however,  the  immediate  impression 
as  well  as  the  beautiful  coherence  of  the  beginning  and  the  end  is  opposed,  the  attempt  to 
seek  for  an  internal  thread  of  connection  for  all  the  parts  is  required,  and  we  will  thereby 
have  to  put  the  division  into  chapters  out  of  the  question. 

In  the  first  place  it  is  evident,  that  the  brief  exhortation  to  seek  God  while  there  is  still  time, 
(ii.  1  fF.),  is  naturally  and  self-evidently  connected  as  a  hortatory  conclusion  to  the  threatening 
of  judgment  (chap,  i.),  and  that  we  must  consequently  limit  the  extent  of  thefrst  great  divis- 
ion to  i.  1-ii.  3,  to  the  announcement,  reason,  description  of  the  judgment  and  exhorta- 
tion. 

Now  how  is  chapter  ii.  4  ff.  related  to  it  ?  It  refers  to  a  series  of  devastations  of  foreign 
lands  :  Philistia,  Moab,  and  Amnion  are  to  be  laid  waste  ;  after  that  the  remnant  of  the 
children  of  Israel  are  to  enter  into  their  possessions.  Destruction  is  also  to  come  upon  Cush 
and  Nineveh.  And  certainly  the  prophet,  in  this  description,  does  not  follow  the  march  of 
a  definite  historical  catastrophe  like  Amos,  who  perhaps  has  before  his  eyes  the  military  ex- 
peditions of  the  Assyrians,  and  Jeremiah,  who  has  before  him  those  of  Nebuchadnezzar  (chap. 
XXV.)  ;  but  the  heathen  nations  are  grouped  together  according  to  the  order  of  the  cardinal 
points  of  the  heavens,  west  and  east,  south  and  north.  The  first  pair  (Philistia,  Moab  =:  Am- 
mon),  represent  the  neighboring  nations  ;  the  second  pair  (Cush,  Nineveh),  represent  the  distant ' 
powers  of  the  world  ;  they  stand  representatively  for  heathen  nations  generally  (comp.  on  ii.  4 
tf.),  for  it  is  also  expressly  declared  to  these  representative  nations  (v.  11),  that  the  proph- 
ecy is  intended  to  be  really  universal  in  its  character. 

Now  this  announcement  of  judgment  seems  mainly  to  be  a  simple  continuation  of  the  de 
scription  of  the  day  of  judgment  in  chap.  i.  But  the  execution  of  these  judgments  upon 
the  heathen  (iii.  6.  7),  is  urged  as  a  reason  that  Jerusalem  should  have  changed  for  the  better  i 
out  she  continues  to  sin  still  far  worse.  And  if  the  remnant  of  Israel  is  to  enter  (ii.  7,  11) 
upon  the  possession  of  the  desolated  lands  of  the  heathen,  who  had  been  destroyed  (ii.  4 
ff.),  it  is  plain,  that  a  catastrophe,  which  is  no  other  than  the  judgment  upon  Israel,  must  b« 


US'TKODUC'TIUX 


placed  between  the  restoration  of  this  remnant  and  that  state  of  impeniterce,  which  conlin 
ues  in  Jerusalem  after  the  desolation  of  these  hinds  (iii.  6,  7).  Accordingly  ii.  4  tf.  cannot  be 
the  amplification  of  the  judgment  upon  Israel;   but  it.  together  with  iii.  1  tf.,  presupposes  it. 

Accordingly  both  the  parts,  ii.  4-18  and  1-7,  are  connected  with  a  second  great  section,  in 
such  a  way  that  the  prophet  announces  a  series  of  chastisements  upon  the  heathen  nations, 
whicL  find  their  climax  in  the  destruction  of  Nineveh  (couip.  Introd.  to  Nahum) ;  and  which, 
ahhough  they  are  at  the  same  time  exhibitions  of  grace  on  the  part  of  God  toward  Judab 
(comp.  Nah.  ii.  1),  are  nevertheless  just  as  fruitless  as  the  reproofs,  exhortations,  and  threat- 
enings  of  judgment,  which  He  uttered  and  denounced  against  Israel  himself  (iii.  5),  Ac- 
cordingly, if  the  promise  that  the  remnant  shoukl  enter  into  the  inheritance  of  the  heathen, 
which  is  the  necessary  result,  is  to  be  fulfilled,  Israel  himself  must  first  pass  through  the  judcr! 
ment.  Neither  ii.  4  ff.,  nor  iii.  1  fF.  speaks  of  this  ;  therefore  the  day  of  judgment,  which 
was  described  i.-ii.  3,  can  only  be  meant  by  it.  And  hence  this  second  great  division  is  con- 
nected with  chap.  i.  as  a  double  statement  of  the  reason,  for  it  also  begins  with  >i  :  the 
day  of  judgment  upon  the  wickedness  [mentioned]  i.  4-6  is  coming  i.  7  ;  ii.  3 ;  for 
although  Jehovah  overthrows  the  heathen  (ii.  4-18),  yet  Israel -continues'as  he  was  (iii.  1-7). 
After  iii.  7,  the  discourse,  if  the  logical  connection,  according  to  our  occidental  mode  of  think- 
ing, Avere  to  be  completed,  might  return  to  i.  7.  This  is  a  frequent  method  with  the  proph- 
ets, to  begin  with  that  Avhich  is  threatened,  and  then  follow  with  a  statement  of  the  reasons. 
(Comp.  above,  p.  3,  at  the  end.) 

Instead  of  the  repetition  of  chap  i.  the  further  progress  of  the  prophecy,  which,  conse- 
quently, according  to  the  logical  connection  of  the  whole,  is  properly  connected  with  [and 
resumes]  the  conclusion  of  the  first  part,  ii.  3,  is,  in  the  third  division,  iii.  8-20,  immediately 
joined  with  iii.  7.  After  the  separate  judgments  ii.  4  fi".,  which  fall  upon  the  heathen  sev- 
erally in  their  own  land,  these  same  nations  are  assembled  once  more,  in  order  that  in  a  last 
great  decisive  battle  with  Jehovah  their  power  may  be  broken,  iii.  8  ;  then  they  come  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  [treten  .sie  zum  Reiche  Gottes  hinzu'],  iii.  9  f  Judah  is  purified  by  the 
judgment,  chap,  i.,  and  his  remnant  inherits  the  promise  :  God  is  in  the  midst  of  him  and  his 
prisoners  are  restored  (iii.  11-20). 

The  whole  structure  \_Gemmmtzusammenhang'\  of  the  jirophecy  is  accordingly  closely  mod- 
eled after  that  of  Obadiah  :  (1)  Judgment,  i.  1-ii.  3;  (2)  Moving  cause,  ii.  4-iii.  7;  (3) 
Salvation,  iii.  8-20.  But  it  is  evident  that  in  the  judgment  there  are  several  distinct  parts 
[Momente'\  :  (1)  The  immediately  impending  se])arate  judgment  upon  the  heathen  nations, 
ii.  4^-18  _;_  (2)  the  final  judgment  upon  the  heathen,  iii.  8  ;  (3)  the  judgment  upon  Israel,  i. 
7-14  ;  iii.  11.  All  three  parts  together  form  the  great  world  judgment,  which  is  presented 
to  view,  i.  2  f  ;  and  in  their  totality  they  form  the  condition  [_Voraussetzung']  of  the  salva- 
tion. 

4.  Historical  Relations  of  the  Prophecy. 

The  Scythians,  who,  contemporaneously  with  the  fall  of  the  Assyrian  empire,  marched 
through  Hither  Asia,  laying  it  waste  (comp.  Introd.  to  Nahum,  p.  10),  entered  also  the  terri- 
tory  of  the  Holy  Land.  Herodotus  (i.  104)  expressly  states,  that  their  march  was  directed 
through  Syrian  Palestine  against  Egypt,  and  that  Psamnietichus,  King  of  Egypt,  succeeded  only 
by  presents  and  entreaties,  in  restraining  them  from  forcing  an  entrance  into  his  territories. 
They  marched  back  through  the  country  of  the  Philistines,  and  the  stragglers  of  their  hordes 
plundered  the  sanctuary  of  the  goddess  at  Ashkelon.  (Comp.  also  Sync,  ed.  Dresd.,  p. 
214.)  The  city  of  Bethshean  is  named  Scythopolis  after  them,  Jos.  Ant.,  xii.  8,  5.  (The 
etymology  SKuroTr'.Ai?  recently  favored  by  Hitzig,  on  Hos.  x.  14,  is  far  more  improbable.) 
The  passage,  2  Mace.  xii.  30,  and  also  Pliny  (Hist.  Nat..,  v.  16),  mention  Scythians  still 
dwelling  there.  The  fact  of  their  marching  through  is  indubitable.  And  it  certainly  falls 
within  the  year  634,  when  Cyaxares  was  prevented  by  them  from  investing  Nineveh,  and 
61 7,  when  Psammeticus  died.  (Comp.  also  Delitzsch,  Habakkuk,  p.  xviii. ;  Ewald,  Gesch.  Isr. 
'_Hist.  of  JsrneQ,  iii.  746  ff.  ;  M.  v.  Niebuhr,  Gesch.  Assurs  und  Babels  [Hist,  of  Assyria  cmd 
Babfilon'],  pp.  67,  110,  187  ;  M.  Duncker,  Gesch.  des  Alterthums  [Hist,  of  Antiqiiiti/'],  i-  751  fF.) 

To  this  expedition  of  the  Scythians,  fbr  conquest,  this  prophecy  has,  in  modern  times,  been 
referred  (Cramer,  Bertheau,  Ewald,  Hitzig).  Now  it  is  certainly  scai^ely  to  be  denied, 
that  among  the  enemies,  by  whom  Jeremiah,  the  contemporary  of  Zephaniah,  announces 
great  de\  astations,  chaps,  iv.-vi.,  the  Scythians  are  included  ;  for  the  n  anner   in  which   h« 


ZEPHANIAH 


here  and  there  describes  them  (the  Scythians  were  a  Mongolian  tribe,  Duncker,  at  the  pas- 
sage cited,  i.  734,  comp.  Neumann,  Sci/then  In  Hellenlande,  231  fF.,  264  ff.)  as  a  strange,  uncul- 
tivated, nomadic  people  (coinp.  namely,  iv.  16  f.  ;  v.,  xv.  if.  ;  vi.  3),  differs  very  much  from 
that  in  which  the  dense  military  hosts  of  the  Mcsopotam  an  concjuerors  (e.  g.,  Is.  v. ;  Hab.  i.) 
are  described.  But  in  Zephaniah  the  matter  is  far  troin  being  very  clear.  The  description 
of  the  devastation  of  ihe  heathen  lands,  (chap,  ii.)  bears,  as  we  see,  a  universal  ideal  charac- 
ter; f(»r  of  the  countries  mentioned  there  Cush  was  not  reached  by  them,  Nineveh  was  not 
destroyed  by  them,  and  Moab  and  Amnion  were  probably  scarcely  touched  by  them.  Just 
as  little  can  the  chief  contents  of  the  prophecy,  in  the  judgment  threatened  upon  Jerusalem, 
be  applied  to  the  Scythians.  That  the  enemy  falls  upon  the  city  from  the  north  (comp,  on 
i.  10  f.)  is  certainly  not,  as  some  interpreters  think,  decisive  of  its  application  to  the  Baby- 
lonians :  the  Scythians  also  came  at  first  from  the  north  ;  and  the  north  side  is  the  most 
accessible  part  of  the  city  ;  but  it  is  certainly  likewise  a  purely  ideal  march  :  the  harassing 
of  the  country  from  the  north  is,  since  Joel  ii.  20,  a  permanent  characteristic  of  all  threat- 
ening prophecies.  And  moreover  the  final  judgment  by  which  the  holy  remnant  is  to  be 
restored  and  to  which  all  the  heathen  nations  are  to  be  gathered,  is  pressed,  but  with  the 
most  unnatural  violence,  to  a  special  historical  reference.  There  remains,  viewed  impartially, 
only  a  single  passage,  in  which  it  seems  that  notice  is  taken  of  the  expedition  of  the  Scyth- 
ians, and  that  is  the  reference  to  the  taking  possession  of  Philistia  (ii.  6).  Here  the  contact 
with  Jer.  vi.  3,  and  the  reference  to  a  migratory  people  are  so  apparent  (ver.  7  is  disjoined  from 
ver.  6  by  the  intervening  judgment  of  Israel),  that  it  seems  almost  in  accordance  with  a  definite 
aim  to  exclude,  as  Kiiper,  Maurer,  Strauss,  Delitzsch,  and  Keil  do,  the  expedition  of  the 
Scythians,  of  which,  however,  Zephaniah,  from  the  condition  of  his  time,  must  have  had 
knowledge  ;  and  yet  for  this  aim  \_Tendenz']  no  rational  ground  can  be  seen.  But  it  can  be 
certainly  said  of  this  passage,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  reference  to  the  Scythians  is  not 
indispensably  necessary  (comp.  on  ii.  7),  and,  in  the  second  place,  that  we  are  not  yet  necessi- 
tated to  find,  even  in  this  reference,  an  immediately  and  directly  historical  expedition.  As 
ii.  12  is  taken  from  Nah.  iii.  8  ff. ;  ver.  13  from  Nah.  ii. ;  so  this  march  in  the  description  of 
the  day  of  judgment  is  taken  from  Jer.  vi.  3.  The  description  is  an  abstract  one,  which 
deals  not  so  much  with  historical  details  as  with  the  idea  of  the  judgment,  and  hence  pre- 
fers to  fall  back  upon  types,  or  examples.  Both  the  obstinate  support  of  the  hypothesis  of  a 
Scythian  expedition  throughout  the  book,  and  the  entire  exclusion  of  the  Scythians  in  favor 
of  the  individual  application  to  the  Babylonians,  which  is  just  as  little  indicated,  show  a  want 
of  the  faculty  of  discriminating  between  special  prediction  (as  Hab.  i.,  Nah.)  and  general 
prophecy  (as  Is.  xxiv.  ff.,  xxxiv.  f ,  Micah  vi.  7). 

[Keil's  Introd.  to  the  0.  T.  vol.  i.,  p.  418  :  "Against  the  opinion  of  Cramer,  Eichhorn, 
Movers,  Hitzig,  Ewald,  and  E.  Meier,  that  Zephaniah  prophesied  of  the  invasion  of  Pales- 
tine by  the  Scythians  (Herod,  i.  105),  there  are  these  considerations  :  (a.)  That  Zephaniah 
does  not  give  any  more  precise  designation  of  the  enemy,  i.  7,  iii.  15  ;  but  that  in  Jer.  iv.- 
vi.,  where  there  has  likewise  been  the  wish  to  find  Scythians,  the  Chaldaeans  are  most  un- 
doubtedly intended  (comp.  Kiiper,  Jer.,  p.  xiii.  f.).  (b.)  That  the  very  narrative  in  Herodotus 
leaves  it  doubtful  whether  that  invasion  by  the  Scythians  touched  the  kingdom  of  Judah.  (c.) 
That  Zephaniah's  prophecy  of  the  conquest  and  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  of  the  chie< 
titles  of  other  kingdoms,  does  not  suit  the  marauding  incursions  of  the  Scythians,  who,  like 
savage  hordes  as  they  were,  did  no  more  than  plunder  countries,  and  were  satisfied  with  booty. 
Comp.  Strauss,  p.  xviii.  IF. ;  Hav.,  pp.  392-93  ;  and  Maurer,  Comment.,  ii.  p.  572."—  C.  E.] 

5.    Literary   Character. 

The  form  of  representation  of  this  prophet  diflers  essentially  from  that  of  Nahum  and 
Habakkuk.  This  lies,  in  the  first  place,  in  the  more  significant  character  of  the  contents. 
His  language  wants  the  plastic  power  and  concinnity  of  expression,  which  spring  from  the 
powerful  intuition  of  an  immediately  impending  event :  it  is  more  suited  to  things  than 
to  events.  He  has  in  this  respect  his  exemplar  in  Joel,  who  certainly  excels  him  in  tha 
poetic  coloring  of  his  description.  And  this  brings  us  to  a  second  particular,  to  an  individual 
peculiarity  of  Zephaniah.  His  prophecy  lacks  the  sustained  poetical  character.  However 
in  this  respect  also  he  has  his  example,  in  single  passages,  in  Micah  (comp.  viz.  Micah  iii.), 
4s  in  the  first  his  style  is  essentially  iidluenced  by  Micah  vi.  7,  and,  in  general,  he  frequently 
-eminds  us  of  that   prophet.      He   has  even    imitated    him  in    individual  embellishments   o^ 


IXTUODUCTIUN. 


speech,  as  e.  g.  the  paronomasia  of  the  names  of  cities,  i.  4,  without,  however,  attainincr  the 
weight  of  his  powerful  predecessor.  Next  to  Micah  the  influence  of  Isaiah  upon  his  mode 
of  expression  is  everywhere  manifest.  Finally,  peculiar  to  his  style  is  llie  fullness  of  verbal 
allusions  to  earlier  prophecies  and  to  the  Torah,  by  which  it  frequently  receives  a  somewhat 
"  abbreviatory  "  (Delitzsch)  character.  Yet  this  peculiarity  [Erscheinung,  phenomenon]  haa 
perhaps,  under  the  immediate  impression  of  the  reading,  been  frequently  exaggerated  by 
interpreters.  While  they  involuntarily  and  unconsciously  add  to  the  numerous  points  ol 
agreement  drawn  from  the  earlier  prophets  also  the  not  less  numerous  known  expressions, 
which  the  later  prophets  have  borrowed  from  him,  it  has  become  the  custom  with  the  major- 
ity of  exegetes  to  treat  him  merely  as  a  compiler,  and  e.  g.  in  the  inquiries  concerning  the 
age  of  controverted  prophecies,  instantly  to  urge  the  circumstance  that  the  same  constructions 
are  found  in  Zephaniah  that  are  found  in  them,  as  an  argument  for  their  higher  antiquity. 
This  is  done  by  Delitzsch.  But  it  is  unfair.  Although  his  style  is  more  pathetic  than 
poetic  ;  although  single  figures  are  constantly  occurring,  which  may  appear  exaggerated  to 
the  more  than  aesthetic  taste  of  an  Eichhorn ;  although  here  and  there  the  form,  but  nowhere 
the  peculiar  color,  the  energetic  rhythm  of  the  prophetic  parallelism,  seems  to  be  preserved  • 
although  finally  he  is  well  acquainted  with  the  Scripture,  and  readily  leads  the  spirit,  that 
speaks  by  him,  into  turns  of  expression  employed  by  his  predecessors,  yet  this  spirit,  also  in 
him,  is  one  that  is  entirely  independent  and  fully  conscious.  And  the  impressive  deeply 
impassioned  severity  of  his  style,  well  deserves  that  his  book  should  be  designated,  as  th« 
dies  irce  of  the  Old  Testament.      (Comp.  the  Vulg.  i.  15.) 

6.  Position  in  the  Organism  of  Scripture. 

The  division  of  the  prophets,  which  has  recently  come  into  use,  into  an  Isaian  and  a  der- 
emian  series,  according  to  which  Delitzsch  briefly  states  the  characteristic  of  Zephaniah,  by 
saying  that  he  begins  the  Jeremian  series,  cannot,  according  to  the  remark  under  5,  and  in 
general,  be  maintained.  Each  of  the  prophets  has  his  peculiarity ;  and  if,  as  we  saw  the 
influence  of  Jeremiah  upon  Zephaniah  is  not  to  be  mistaken,  yet  his  peculiarity  is  not  there- 
by impaired.  Next  to  Jeremiah  may  be  mentioned  Joel,  Micah,  and  also  his  immediate 
predecessor,  Nahum,  with  whom  in  part  Internal  relationship,  and  in  part  numerous  points  ol 
contact  (comp.  the  Exeget.  Expos.),  closely  connect  him. 

His  significance  in  the  collection  of  the  prophetic  canon  lies  in  the  first  place  in  the  centre 
of  his  prophecy,  the  doctrine  of  the  judgment.  In  no  prophet  is  this  doctrine  so  affluently 
set  out,  and  so  characteristically  grasped  as  in  him.  The  doctrine  of  the  purifying  judo-ment 
upon  Israel,  and  that  of  the  retributive  judgment  upon  the  powers  of  the  world,  which 
effected  the  redemption  of  Israel,  and  which  are  presented  as  they  gradually  come  to  lio-ht, 
the  former  in  Isaiah  and  Micah,  the  latter  in  Obadiah,  Isaiah,  Micah,  and  Nahum,  are  com- 
bined in  Zephaniah  with  the  doctrine  of  the  final  judgment  upon  the  whole  heathen  world, 
which,  prefigured  by  Joel,  by  Ezekiel  xxxviii.  f.,  and  Zechariah  xii.,  is  here  expanded.  By 
the  side  of  the  preceding  separate  prophecies  of  the  judgment  the  prophecy  of  Zephaniah 
ranks  as  an  apocalypse  of  the  general  judgment,  which  does  not  belong  entirely  to  any  of 
the  four  periods  of  prophecy  relating  to  the  judgment  (comp.  Com.  on  Obadiah,  p.  14,),  but  is 
one  in  which  the  rays  of  all  meet  and  unite  in  a  well  arranged  picture  of  the  whole.  And  thus 
his  significance  in  the  second  place  is  in  general  this,  —  that  he  is  in  a  certain  degree  a  thesau- 
rus of  the  prophetic  theology.  For  even  of  the  other  problems  of  prophecy  a  series  of  the 
nost  important  is  treated  and  placed  in  its  necessary  connection  with  the  law  and  with  the 
whole  of  the  development  of  the  kingdom.  The  words,  in  which  Bucer  in  the  preface  to 
his  commentary,  assigns  his  reasons,  why  he  undertook  to  expound  this  prophet  :  "  Brevis 
quidem  ille,  sed  sensibus  adeo  fecundus,  ut  omnium  sane  quce  prophetce  reliqui  quam  libet  mag- 
nis  libris  ad  nos  transmiserunt  elegantem  nobis  epitomen  composuisse  recte  dicatur"  are,  although 
somewhat  extravagant  (for,  e.g.,  Zephaniah  does  not  have  the  doctrine  of  the  personal  Messiah), 
)  et  on  the  whole  justly  characteristic.  Along  with  the  prediction  of  the  judgment  the  old 
prophetical  theologoumenon  of  the  remnant,  which  receives  the  promise  ("in";,  iT^^Stt?,  "1NQ7 
n^''b?|),  is  brought  into  clear  light  (ii.  7  ;  iii.  12  f.;  comp.  Ob.  17;  Joel  iii.  5  ;  Am.  v. 
15  ;  Is.  vii.  3  ;  xxxvii.  32;  Micah  v.  6  f.).  So  also  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  iii.  9  ff.; 
comp.  Is.  xviii.  ff.;  the  gathering  of  Israel  effected  by  the  return  of  the  captives,  iii.  19  f.-. 
the  grounding  of  salvation  upon  the  pardoning  grace  of  God,  etc.     Finally,  there  is  a  trait 


IQ  ZEPHANIAH. 

peculiar  to  him,  viz.,  the  intimate  relation  of  worship  to  the  sanctification  of  the  heart.  D 
in  the  series  of  the  threefold  judgment  before  the  salvation  the  incidents  from  the  Ufe  of 
Elias  are  realized  in  history,  1  K.  xix. ;  xi.  f.  (comp.  also,  i.  7  with  1  K.  xviii.  40),  so  in  the 
reproof  if  the  mingUng  [of  idolatry]  with  the  service  of  God,  i.  4  ff.,  we  perceive  a  reali- 
£ation  of  :  "  How  long  halt  ye  between  two  opinions?  (1  K.  xviii.  21.)  And  as  Zephaniah 
considers  the  impurity  of  heart,  calling  for  judgment,  proved  by  this  corruption  of  worship, 
■o  he  describes  the  salvation  by  the  pure  Ups  with  which  the  heathen  praise  Jehovah  (iii.  9). 

With  respect  to  its  external  position  in  the  Canon,  it  is  certainly  in  time  older  than  Ha- 
bakkuk,  and  follows  close  upon  Nahum.  Yet  it  is,  as  it  appears,  for  two  reasons,  placed  in 
its  present  position  :  after  Habakkuk,  on  account  of  the  coincidence  of  his  exordium,  i.  6, 
with  the  conclusion  of  the  properly  prophetic  discourse  of  Habakkuk,  ii.  20  (DPI)  5  and  be- 
fore Haggai  on  account  of  the  coincidence  of  his  ending  iii.  20  with  the  beginning  of  Haggai 
i.  2  {nV).     Comp.  above,  p.  3. 

["  There  was  extant  in  the  ancient  Christian  Church  an  apocryphal  work  in  Zephaniah's 
name  {ai'dXr]\}/L<;,  or  irpocfirjTda  tov  So^oviou  TTpo4>r)Tov),  out  of  which  Clemens  Alex.  (Strom., 
V.  p.  585),  and  Pseudo-Epiphan.  (De  Vitis  Prophetarum),  quote  passages.  In  the  Synopsis 
Scripturce  Sacrce,  and  in  Nicephorus,  Stichometria,  No.  9,  it  is  added  among  the  Apocry- 
phal Books  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  its  extent  is  stated  as  six  hundred  verses." 

Bleek's  Introd.  to  the  Old  Testament,  vol.  ii.  p.  157.  C.  E.] 

7.  Literature. 

Separate  Commentaries.  Mart.  Bucer,  Comment,  in  Tzephanjam,  Argentor,  1628 
'Martin  Lutheri,  Comment,  in  Sophon.  Prophet.  Opera  Latina,  t.  iv. —  C.  E.]  P.  Hocke,  Zerglied- 
ernde  Auslegung  der  Propheten  (Nahum,  Habakkuk,  und)  Zephanjah,  Frankf.,  1710,  4to.  [An- 
alytical exposition  of  the  prophets  (Nahum,  Habukkuk,  and)  Zephaniah.  J.  H.  Gebhardi : 
Erklarung  des  Propheten  Zephanjah  [Interpretation  of  the  Prophet  Zephaniah],  Frankft.  Aa. 
O.  1728,  4to.  D.  V.  Colin,  Spicilegium  Observatt.  Exeg.  Critt.  adZephanjce  Vaticinia,  Vratisl., 
1818,  4to.  P.  Ewald,  Der  Prophet  Zephanjah,  Erl.,  1827.  F.  A.  Strauss,  Vaticinia  Zeph- 
anjah Comm.  illustr.,  Berol.,  1843. 

Separate  Treatises.  J.  A.  Nolten,  De  Prophetia  Zephanjce,  Francf.  ad.  V.,  1719. 
Ikenius,  De  Cemarim,  Bremae,  1729,  4to.'  C.  F.  Kramer,  Scythische  Denkmaler  in  Paldstina 
[Scythian  monuments  in  Palestine],  Kiel,  1777.  C.  Th.  Anton,  Versio  c.  iii.  Proph.  Zeph.  c. 
nova  V.  18,  interpret,  Gorl.,  1811,  4to.  J.  A.  Herwig,  Beitrdge  zur  Erlaut.  des  Propheten  Zepha- 
niah, in  Bengel's  Archiv.,  i.  3.  [Contributions  to  the  explanation  of  the  prophet  Zephaniah, 
in  Bengel's  Archives,  i.  3.] 

Devotional.  Joh.  Casar,  21  Predigten  iiber  den  Propheten  Zephaniah,  Wittenb.  [21 
sermons  on  the  prophet  Zephaniah,  Wittenberg],  1603. 

[F.  Delitzsch,  ai-t.  "  Zephanja,"  in  Herzog,  Real-Encyc.  L.  Reinke,  Der  Prophet  Zeph^ 
anjah,  1868.     Hitzig,  KeiL  C  E.1 


ZEPHANIAH. 


THE  DAY  OF  JUDGMENT. 
Chapter  I.  1-ii.  3. 

7%«   Universality  of  the  Judgment  (vers.  2,  3) :  it  will  destroy  all  the  Idolaters  in 

Judah  and  Jerusalem  (vers.  4—7)  :  it  will  fall  upon  Sinners  of  every  Rank  (vers. 
8—13)  :  it  will  burst  irresistibly  upon  all  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Earth  (vers.  14- 
18)  :  a  Call  to  Conversion  (chap.  ii.  1-3).  —  C.  E.] 

1  The   word  of  Jehovah,   which   was  communicated  to    Zephaniah,   the  son  of 
Cushi,  the  son  of  Gedaliah,  the  son  of  Amariah,  the  son  of  Hiskiah  [Hezekiahj 
in  the  days  of  Josiah,  the  son  of  Amon,  king  of  Judah : 

2  I  will  utterly  destroy  ^  everything  jfrom  the  face  of  the  earth,  saith  Jehovah. 

3  I  will  destroy  man  and  beast: 

I  wiU  destroy  the  fowls  of  heaven  and  the  fishes  of  the  sea, 
And  the  causes  of  ofience  ^  with  the  sinners  ; 
And  I  will  cut  off  man  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
Saith  Jehovah. 

4  And  I  will  stretch  forth  my  hand  over  Judah, 
And  over  all  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem ; 

And  I  will  cut  oif  from  this  place  the  remnant  of  Baal) 
The  idol-priests,*  together  with  the  priests  ; 

5  And  those  who  worship  the  host  of  heaven  upon  their  rooAi^ 

And  the  worshippers  who  swear  to  Jehovah, 
And  who  swear  by  their  king  ;  * 

6  And  those  who  draw  back  from  Jehovah, 

Who  do  not  seek  Jehovah, 
And  do  not  inquire  for  Him. 

7  Be  silent  before  the  Lord  Jehovah, 
For  the  day  of  Jehovah  is  near ; 
For  Jehovah  has  prepared  a  sacrifice, 

He  has  consecrated  those  whom  He  has  invited. 

8  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  day  of  Jehovah's  sacrifice. 

That  I  will  visit  [with  punishment]  the  princes  and  the  king's  soiu 
And  all  that  wear  foreign  apparel. 

9  And  I  will  visit,  in  that  day,  every  one  that  leaps  over  the  threshold^ 
Those  who  fiU  the  house  of  their  Lord  with  violence  and  deceit. 


12  ZEPHANIAH. 


10  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  saith  Jehovah, 
[That  there  shall  be]  the  voice  of  crying  from  the  fish-gate, 
And  howling  from  the  lower  city,^ 

And  great  destruction  from  the  hills. 

1 1  Howl  ye  inhabitants  of  the  Mortar," 

For  all  the  people  of  Canaan  are  destroyed, 
All  that  are  laden  with  silver  are  cut  off. 

12  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  at  that  time, 
That  I  will  search  Jerusalem  with  candles, 
And  I  will  visit  the  men  who  lie  upon  their  lees, 
Who  say  in  their  hearts, 

Jehovah  will  not  do  good,  neither  will  He  do  evil. 

13  And  their  wealth  shall  become  a  spoil. 
And  their  houses  a  desolation  ; 

And  they  shall  build  houses  and  not  inhabit  them, 
And  plant  vineyards  and  not  drink  their  wine. 

14  The  great  day  of  Jehovah  is  near  ; 
It  is  near  and  hasteth  greatly ; 
Hark  !  the  day  of  Jehovah, 
Bitterly  cries  the  mighty  man  there. 

15  A  day  of  [overflowing]  wrath  is  that  day, 
A  day  of  trouble  and  distress, 

A  day  of  ruin  and  desolation, 
A  day  of  darkness  and  gloom, 
A  day  of  clouds,  and  cloudy  darkness ; 

(6  A  day  of  the  trumpet  and  of  the  war-cry 
Against  the  fortified  cities, 
And  against  the  lofty  battlements. 

17  And  I  will  bring  distress  upon  men, 
And  they  shall  walk  as  the  blind ; 
Because  they  have  sinned  against  Jehovah, 
Their  blood  shall  be  poured  out  like  dust, 
And  their  flesh  like  dung. 

18  Neither  their  silver  nor  their  gold  will  be  able  to  deliver  them 
In  the  day  of  Jehovah's  fury  ; 

And  the  whole  land  shall  be  devoured  by  the  fire  of  his  jealousy  [anger] ; 
For  He  will  make  an  end,  yea  a  sudden  one,  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  eartii 

Chapter  II. 

1  Bend ''  yourselves,  bend  ye  people,  that  do  not  grow  pale ; 

2  Before  the  decree  bring  forth, 
(The  day  passes  away  like  chaff,) 

Before  the  burning  wrath  of  Jehovah  come  upon  you, 
Before  the  day  of  Jehovah's  anger  come  upon  you. 

i  Seek  Jehovah,  all  ye  humble  of  the  hand, 
Wlio  have  kept  fwrought]   Iiis  right  [law]  ; 


CHAPi'EiiS  I.  l-II.  3. 


13 


Seek  righteousness,  seek  humility  ; 

Perhaps  ye  will  be  hidden  iu  the  day  of' Jehovah's  wrath. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

[1  Ver.  2  —  r|DS  ^DS,  the  infinitive  of  the  Terb  PjDS  with  the  Hiphil  of  the  cognate  Terb  H^ID.  See  Qreen-f 
Heft.  Grawi.,  sec.  2S2,  :i.     LXX.  :  'EKAet'i|/ei  eKAeiTrero  ;  Vulg.  ;  Caiigregans  congregabo. 

[2  Ter.  3.—  nibty-Sn"),  sing,  ruina,  Is.  iii.  6;  plur    df.  idolis,  Zeph.  i.  3,     Ges.,  Vies.,  s.  y.  'hW'D,  P-  721,  b. 
LXX.:   Kal  acrSenja-ouo-ii' ot  d<rf(3els ;  Vulg.:  et  ruince  impiorutn  erunt ;  Luth.  :  sammt  den  Aergernissen,  ebc.  ;  Kieinert 
und  die  Triimmer. 

[3  Ver.  4.  —  □'^"I^Sn,  sacerdotes  idolorum,  2  Kings  xxiii.  o  ;  Hos.  x.  5.  Ges.,  T/ies.,  s.  v.  "IDS,  p-  693,  a.  LXX.  •. 
mil  wdjiiaTa  tuiv  Itpeuiy  J   Vulg.  :  et  nomina  cBdituorutn  ;  Kieinert :  die  Nanien  der  Pfaffen. 

[4  Ver.  5.  —  C37^,  P''-  i^-  °^  ^^   '"iol  of  ^^^  Moabites  and  Ammonites,  e.  g..  D3 /Q  and   Tf  V^    Jer.  xlix.  1-3. 

Bnt  in  Zeph.  i.  h  and  Am.  i.  15,  DSvIS  is  an  appellative,  tkeir  king,  e.  g.   McUcham.    Ges.  :  "  Name  der  Gottheit  der  Am- 

monan,  mil  TjVD  eig.  ident.,  Jer.  xlix.  1-3;  Am.  5.  15;  Zef.  i.  5."  Furst :  Heb.  u.  Ckald.  Handworterbuch.  LXX.: 
Tov  jSacriAf'u)?  ainwv  ;  Vulg.  Melchom ;  Luth.  Malchom ;  Kieinert,  Melech.  See  Smith's  Diet,  of  the  Bible,  s.  v.,  "  Mai- 
tbuTn.'" 

[6  Ver.  10.  —  niti^Sn  («/<«  second),  "  Nek.  xi.  9  et  2  Reg.  xxii.  14,  par.<i  urbis  secundaria  vocabatur  certa  pars  Hiero 
tolymorum,  forlasse  noca  qucedam  pars  vel  suburbiuin.''''  Ges.,  Thes.,  a.  v.,  p.  1451,  b.  LXX. :  0770  rrjs  Sevrepos  ;  Vulg. :  a 
secunda ;  Luth. :   von  dem  andern  Thor ;  Kieinert :   von  der  Neustadt.     Smith's  Dirt,  of  the  Bible :  "  The  mention  oi 

Huldah,  the  prophetess,  introduces  us  to  the  lovrer  city  under  the  name  of  '  the  Mishneh  '  (rT3tt7SrT,  A.  V.  'college,' 
'achool,'  or  '  second  part')."     VoL  i.  p.  994,  b. 

[6  Ver.  11.  —  E^jnDSi^j  literally  "  the  mortar,"  probably  a  deep  hollow,  so  called  from  its  resemblance  to  a  mortar. 
See  Exeget.  ver.  11. 

[7  Chap.  II.    Ver.  1.  —  ^t^ipl  !)tt?tt7iprin  :  The  LXX.,  Vulg.,  and  Luth.  translate  these  vrords,  as  if  they  wew 

derived  from  t£7C27p,  to  gather;  but  Kieinert  prefers  to  derive  them  from  t27'1p,  to  bend.     Qes.  and  Furst  take  them 

from  WWr).  —  C.  E.l 
-  't 


EXEGETICAIj. 

On   the  heading  compare  the  Introduction,  I. 

The  prophecy  itself  describes,  like  Nah.  i.  1  flf.,  in 

an  abstract  manner,  the  judgment,  in  its  internal, 

necessary  character.    It  is  — 

(a)  God's  judgment,  hence  absolute  (vers.  2,  3), 

bat- 
It)  In  its  relation  to  Israel,  it  has  for  its  end 

the  extermination  of  idolatry  (vers.  4-6),  so  that 

it  appears  as  a  holy  act,  not  merely  as  a  slaughter, 

but  as  a  sacrifice.    (Ver.  7.) 

To  these  introductory  thoughts  are  joined  — 

(c)  The  description  of  the  separate  necessary 
acts  of  punishment  (vers.  8-13) ;  three  strophes 
of  two  verses  each,  of  which  each  is  introduced  by 

a  ^IjrjJ'))  and  — 

(d)  A  general  characteristic  of  the  terribleness 
of  the  day  of  judgment  (vers.  14-18),  finally  — 

(e)  An  exhortation  to  repentance  before  the 
judgment  (ii.  1-3). 

Vers.  2,  3 :  The  Universality  of  the  Judgment. 
From  the  very  first  the  prophet  characterizes  his 
prophecy  as  a  threatening  one  :  I  will  sweep  off, 
sweep   oflf  everything   from   the   face   of   the 

earth.  Instead  of  '^DhiS,  which  we  would  ex- 
pect, the  prophet  joins  to  the  inf.  abs.  of  the  root 
^DM  the  verb  fin.  of  the  cognate  root  ^13.  Comp. 
on  Hab.  iii.  9,  and  Ewald,  sec.  312  b,  3.  The  ret- 
rospective contrast  to  Micah  ii.  11  cannot  be  mis- 
taken ;  and  just  as  little  to  be  mistaken  is  the  allu- 
tion  to  the  Divine  sentence,  Gen.  vi.  7. 

Ver.  3 :  I  will  sweep  off  ....  in  the  sea. 
The  creatures  are  affected  by  the  universality  of 
the  judgment ;  connected  by  a  community  of  in- 
terests with  mankind,  on  whose  account  the  judg- 


ment takes  place,  they  suffer  with  them.  And  the 
ruins,  —  the  habitations  of  men,  world,  land,  state, 
city  (comp.  Is.  iii.  6),  which  go  to  wreck  before 
the  judgment  of  God, — together  with  the  sin- 
ners, comp.  Nah.  i.  14.  The  meaning  of  offense 
[Aergerniss]  (Luther,  Strauss,  Keil),  for  the  word 

n  ^WDT2,  is  not  exactly  ungrammatical,  but  it 
cannot  be  substantiated  from  the  usage  of  the  lan- 
guage. (It  seems  certainly  to  be  presupposed, 
Matt.  xiii.  41.  Schmieder.  [See  note  2,  ver.  3. — 
C.  E.]  I  wiU  certainly  destroy  men  from  the 
face  of  the  earth,  saith  Jehovah. 

Vers.  4-7  :  The  edge  of  the  judgment  is  directed 
against  Judah  and  Jerusalem  and  the  idolatry 
there.  And  I  will  stretch  out  my  hand  (the 
noted  favorite  expression  of  Isaiah,  ix.  11  ff., 
comp.  V.  25)  over  Judah  ....  and  I  will  de 
stroy  from  this  place  the  renmant  of  Baal, 
which  the  king  had  not  yet  destroyed.  Comp.  the 
Introd.  2.  Baal  stands  for  the  worship  of  Baal 
(comp.  Hos.  ii.),  as  the  explanatory  appositional 
clause  immediately  following  proves  :  the  names 
of  the  idol-priests  [P/affen],  together  with  the 

priests  [Priestern].  D^"17!22  was  the  oflScial  des- 
ignation of  the  priests  of  Baal  (2  Kings  xxiii.  5) ; 
these  were  entirely  to  disappear ;  this  is  what  is 
meant  by  the  destruction  of  the  name  (comp.  Nah. 
i.  14).  But,  as  we  may  certainly  infer  from  the 
circumstance  that  the  worship  of  Baal  had  been 
introduced  into  the  Temple  also  (2  Kings  xxiii. 
4,  comp.  xvi.  11),  the  Cohanim  too,  priests  of  Je- 
hovah, both  in  Israel  and  in  Judah,  had  polluted 
themselves  by  their  participation  in  idolatry. 

[These,    too,   are   to   disappear,   though    their 

name,  consecrated  by  the  Torah  [Law],  cannot  be 

I  removed.     [Keil  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  Kem^- 


14 


ZEPHANIAH. 


lim  are  not  prophets  of  Baal,  but,  as  in  2  Kings  xxiii. 
5,  and  Hos.  x.  5,  the  ])riests  appointed  bv  the  kings 
of  Judah  for  the  worship  of  the  higii  places  and 
the  idolatrous  worship  of  Jehovah.  Kohanlm,  as 
distinguished  from  these,  he  considers  idolatrous 
priests  in  the  stricter  sense  of  the  word.  —  C  PI] 
And  as  it  befalls  the  priests,  so  is  it  to  befall  the 
worshippers  of  false  gods  [Croteeji],  ver.  f>  :  And 
those  who  worship  the  host  of  heaven  upon 
their  roofs.  [Conip.  Jahn's  13ib.  Arch  ,  sees.  406 
and  407,  pages  518,  519,  New  York,  Ivison  &  Co., 
1866  ;  also  Thomson's  The  Larid  and  the  Book, 
vol.  i.  p.  52,  New  York,  Harper  &  Brothers, 
1859.  —  C.  E.]  This  Babylonian  worship  (comp. 
Com.  on  Nahum,  p.  36)  was  known  already  in  the 
time  of  Moses  (Deut.  iv.  19). 

The  practice  of  it,  as  stated  above,  had  its  nat- 
ural place  on  the  open  roofs ;  it  had  also  been  abol- 
ished by  force  in  the  period  of  the  decline  of  the 
kingdom  (2  Kings  xxiii.  12;  Jer.  xix.  13);  and 
had  probably,  before  the  spread  of  the  Syro  Phoe- 
nician service  of  Baal  in  Judah,  been  blended  with 
this  so  as  to  form  a  syncretistic  idolatry  ;  comp. 

the  name  of  Baal,  Belsamen  (VP^^  ''^5  = 
D'^fiB?  ^3?2),  in  Hieron.,  Aug.  in  Jiid.,  iii.  449 ; 
comp.  Plautus,  Pcenulus,  v.  ii.  67.  Here  also,  as 
at  the  end  of  ver.  4,  those  who  blend  the  service 
of  Jehovah  with  idolatry  (comp.  1  Kings  xviii. 
21),  are  mentioned  along  with  the  direct  worship- 
pers of  idols  :  And  the  worshippers,  who  swear 
to  Jehovah,  and,  at  the  same  time,  swear  by 
their  king.  Swearing  is,  according  to  the  Old 
Testament  view,  a  sign  of  the  service  of  God  and 
part  of  the  confession  [of  Him].  Is.  xix.  18;  Am. 
viii.  14.     The  Vulgate  pronounces  the  consonants 

C3^X2  Milcom,  which  is  the  known  name  of  the 

idol-god  of  the  Ammonites.  1  Kings  xi.  5.  The 
Masorites  read  Malcam,  by  their  king ;  and  in 
keeping  with  this  the  LXX.  translate  it  Kari,  tov 
daaiXfws  auTwv;  however,  thej'  hardly  thought  of 
an  earthly  king;  they  translate  also  (1  Kings  xi. 
7)  the  idol-god  Molech  by  fiairiXevs  (comp.  Jer. 
xxxii.  35 :  t<j5  MoKhx  ^affiXel).  This  is  the  one 
here  intended ;  at  the  same  time  we  must  assume 
that  he  had  been  admitted  into  the  syncretism  of 
the  Ahaz-Manasseh  idol-worship  in  Jerusalem  (2 
Kings  xvi.  3).  (According  to  the  signification  of 
the  name  he  may  as  well  have  corresponded,  in  the 
southern  cultus  of  Canaan,  to  the  Baal  of  the 
northern  cultus,  vide  Colin.)  Here  the  name  does 
not  appear  in  the  Canaanitish  form  Moleeh  (LXX. 
Moloch),  peculiar  to  the  idol,  but  in  the  pure  He- 
braic form  Melech.  The  prophet  purposely  changes 
ne  names  of  the  idols,  in  order  to  characterize 
the  worthless  [das  zusammengebettelte,  scraped  to- 
gether by  begging]  and  intrinsically  baseless  char- 
acter of  these  idolatries  as  opposed  to  the  worship 
of  the  One  Jehovah.  To  the  actual  apostates  he 
adds  (ver.  6),  the  great  number  of  the  careless  and 
despiser'j :  and  those  ....  who  do  not  ask  for 
Him,  who  by  this  negative  conduct  prove  the 
apostasy  of  their  hearts.  Comp.  1  Chron.  xv.  13. 
[The  whole  of  this  entire  enumeration  (vers.  4-6) 
shows  a  gradual  progress  from  gross  external  to 
'efined  internal  idolatry.  "  The  Lord  will  destroy 
'1 )  the  remnant  of  the  idols  of  Baal ;  (2)  the  com- 
»)any  of  their  servants  ;  (3)  the  worshippers  of  the 
idols,  who  content  themselves  with  altars  without 
'mages,  but  worship  publicly  upon  the  house- 
tops; (4)  the  secret  worshippers;  (5)  those  who, 
without  practicinir  idolatry,  have  apostatisfed  from 


God  in  their  hearts;  (6)  The  indifferentisls."  — 
Schmieder.] 

The  judgment  comes  upon  all  these,  ver.  7  :  B« 
sUent  before  the  Lord  Jehovah.     The  graphic 

particle  '^'^  is  borrowed  from  Am.  vi.  10  (comp. 
Zech.  ii.  17).  The  silence  lies  here,  as  in  Hab.  ii. 
20,  between  the  preparative  announcement  and  the 
description  of  the  judgment.  While  the  prophet  ii 
deeply  occupied  in  thinking  of  its  coming,  he  as 
sumes  as  it  were  the  character  of  a  herald  of  God 
who  first  proclaims  what  is  now  about  to  come  tc 
pass,  and  then  when  it  arrives  he  enjoins  silence. 
That  the  "  silence  "  serves  as  a  /'an-te  Unguis  to  the 
introduction  to  the  holy  sacrificial  act  (Hitzig),  is 
a  view  borrowed  not  from  the  Old  Testament,  but 
from  the  profane  classics.  Keep  silence,  "  for  the 
day  of  Jehovah  is  near."  [This  is  the  reason 
for  the  command  to  "  keep  silence." —  C.  E.]. 
Zephaniah  makes  his  announcement  culminate  in 
the  noted  formula  of  threatening,  which  pervades 
prophecy  from  Ob.  15  forward  (comp.  Joel  i.  15  ; 
iv.  14),  and  at  the  same  time  gives  along  with  it 
the  theme  for  the  subsequent  representation.  He 
immediately  defines  more  precisely  the  character  of 
this  day  :  for  Jehovah  has  prepared  a  saeriflce. 

npT  is  here,  as  in  Is.  xxxiv.  6 ;  Jer.  xlvi.  10  [and 
Ezek.  xxxix.  17  — C.  E.],  not  an  abstract  of  the 
verb  nSJ,  to  slaughter  [ccedes,  Ges.,  J'Aes.,  Maur.), 

but,  as  it  is  everywhere,  a  sacrifice.  And,  indeed, 
where  it  stands  absolutely,  it  is  synonymous  with 

the  fuller  term.  tech.  D^pvli^  HST,  peace-ofFering; 
the  kind  of  offering,  in  which  only  certain  parts 
of  the  victim  were  burned  and  a  feast  prepared  of 

the  rest.     [Hence  in  contrast  not  only  to  nnpX2, 

the  bloodless,  and  to  HNTSn,  the  sin-cfFering,  but 

also  to  Hv^,  the  burnt-offering.  Lev.  xvii.  8.] 
This  connection  of  ideas  suggests  the  clause:  and 
has  consecrated  those  whom  he  has  invited. 
Kruim,  those  who  are  invited  to  the  fea^st,  as  in  1 
Sam.  ix.  13.  The  heathen  nations,  whom  Israel 
are  about  to  destroy,  are  meant;  hence  the  wider 
thought  is  taken  from  Is.  xiii.  3,  that  they  are  con- 
secrated by  God  for  the  destruction  of  the  impious 
one  (acpaipiffjiiei/ot  is  rovro,  Theodoret) :  they  come 
not  only  as  allies,  but  also  as  executors  of  the  holy 
act  in  consideration.  On  the  day  of  God  there 
will  also  be  brought  by  holy  hands  a  holy  offering, 
and  it  will  be  consumed  by  those  whom  God  has 
invited :  but  the  victim  is  not  an  animal,  but 
his  people  ;  those  who  slay  it  are  not  priests,  and 
those  who  feast  on  it  are  not  confederates  of  the 
people,  but  strangers. 

Vers.  8-13.  The  first  detailed  statement  in  the 
amplification  of  ver.  7.  The  Three  Acts  of  Punish- 
ment.  The  first,  vers.  8,  9,  falls  upon  the  princes, 
who  indulge  in  the  customs  of  the  heathen.  And 
it  shall  come  to  pass  ....  upon  the  mighty 
ones,  the  dignitaries  of  state,  the  heads  of  tribes 
and  families,  from  whose  opposition,  as  was  for- 
merly the  case  with  the  reforms  of  Hezekiah 
(Micah  iii.),  so  also  now  those  of  Josiah  were  likely 
to  meet  with  their  strongest  resistance,  and  who 
in  influence,  might  indeed  surpass  the  royal  princes, 
as  is  the  case  in  the  present  day  in  the  kingdoms 
of  the  East.  Hence  these  latter  are  mentioned  in 
the  second  place.  "The  sons  of  Josiah  (1  Chron 
iii.  14),  Jehoiakim  and  Jehoahaz,  being  both  still 
of  a  tender  age,  cannot  be  meant,  but  only  broth- 
ers or  uncles."     Hitzig.     Comp.  Introd.  1.     Tb« 


CHAPTERS  1.    1-U.  3. 


If: 


fesson  why  the  judgment  is  to  fall  upon  these  es- 
pecially—  the  kui'^  is  exempted  (comp.  2  Kings 
xxii.  1  8  ff.)  — immediately  follows  :  upon  all,  who 
3lothe  themselves  with  foreign  apparel.  "  Mi/n 
•toil  dubium  est,  fjiiiii  iUo  tevo  alii  A-Lgiffjtios  in  ix  stitu 
imitarentur,  alii  Ba/ii/lonios,  /trout  hnic  aid  illi  yentt 
ittidebant."  Drusitis.  The  strange  a])parel  shows 
the  estranged  heart  ;  the  infringement  of  the  pop- 
ular manners  and  the  eontem]>t  of  the  national 
costume  evince  the  decay  of  the  national  spirit. 
Moreover  i.ie  law  by  no  means  treats  of  clothing 
as  an  adiaphoron  (Deut.  xxii  11  ;  Lev.  xix.  19). 
And  so  then  among  these  ])rinces  it  appears  that  the 
desire  after  strange  clothing  goes  hand  in  hand  with 
the  desire  of  the  heart  to  apostatize  from  the  worship 
of  the  true  God,  ver.  9  :  And  I  will  visit  in  that 
day  every  one  that  leaps  over  the  threshold.  It 
belonged  to  the  ceremonial,  in  the  worship  of  the 
Phili.stine  god  Uagon,  to  leap  over  the  temple 
threshold,  which  was  considered  sacred  and  not 
to  be  touched  (1  Sam.  v.  5).  The  Chaldisan 
briefly  paraphrases  it :  all  who  follow  the  usages 
of  the  Philistines.  Those  who  fill  the  house  of 
their  lords  with  violence  and  deceit.  As  the 
prophet  was  speaking  of  leaping  over  the  thres- 
hold, the  connection  requires  that  we  look  for  the 
house  behind  this  threshold,  and  consequently 
that  we  understand  the  lords  to  mean  idols,  whom 
they  serve  and  to  whom  they  carry  their  unjustly 

acquired  treasures.  P^W,  according  to  the  signifi- 
cation of  the  word,  is  equivalent  to  727S  (comp. 
the  plural  □'^^272,  l  Sam.  vii.  4).  So  also  Colin  ; 
Hitzig  would  understand  the  passage  so  as  to  mean 
that  those  who  are  reprehended  regard  the  palace 
of  the  king  as  an  idol- temple,  and  bring  into  it  de- 
ceit and  violence.  But  that  would  be  a  pompous 
way  of  expressing  it;  and  Josiah  would  hardly 
have  suffered  it.  In  a  similar  way  Bucer,  Ewald, 
and  Keil  [understand  the  passage].  The  conjec- 
ture that  ordinary  servants  and  masters  (Strauss) 
are  meant,  does  not  agree  with  the  context. 

[Keil  :  In  ver.  9  a,  many  commentators  find  a 
condemnation  of  an  idolatrous  use  of  foreign  cus- 
toms ;  regarding  the  leaping  over  the  threshold,  as 
an  imitation  of  the  priests  of  Dagon,  who  adopted 
the  custom,  according  to  1  Sam.  v.  5,  of  leaping 
over  the  threshold  when  they  entered  the  temple 
of  that  idol.  But  an  imitation  of  that  custom 
could  only  take  place  in  temples  of  Dagon,  and  it 
appears  perfectly  inconceivable  that  it  should  have 
been  transferred  to  the  threshold  of  the  king's 
palace,  unless  the  king  was  regarded  as  an  incar- 
nation of  Dagon,  —  a  thought  which  could  never 
enter  the  minds  of  Israelitish  idolaters,  since  even 
the  Philistian  kings  did  not  hold  themselves  to  be 
incarnations  of  their  idols.  If  we  turn  to  the  sec- 
ond hemistich,  the  thing  condemned  is  the  filling 
of  their  masters'  houses  with  violence ;  and  this 
certainly  does  not  stand  in  any  conceivable  rela- 
tion to  that  custom  of  the  priests  of  Dagon  ;  and 
yet  the  words  "  who  fill,"  etc.,  are  proved  to  be  ex- 
planatory of  the  first  half  of  the  verse,  by  the  fact 
that  the  second  clause  is  appended  without  the 
copula    Vav,   and   without   the  repetition  of  the 

preposition  ''?•  Now,  if  a  fresh  sin  were  referred 
o  here,  the  copula  Vav,  at  all  events,  could  not 
lave  beai  omitted.  We  must  therefore  understand 
by  the  leaping  over  the  threshold,  a  violent  and 
ludden  rushing  into  houses  to  steal  the  property 
of  stringers   (Calvin,   Ros.,  Ewald,  Strauss,  and 


others),  so  that  the  allusion  is  to  "dishonorable 
servants  ot  the  king,  wlio  tiiought  that  they  could 
l)est  serve  their  master  by  extorting  treasures  from 
their  dependants  by  violence  and  fraud"  (Ewald). 

^n"^""^^'  of  their  lord,  (.  e.,  of  the  king,  not 
"of  their  lords:"  the  plural  is  in  the  pluraiit 
iiiajistatis,  AS  in  1  Sam.  xxvi  16;  2  Sara.  ii.  5, 
etc.  —  C.  E.] 

The  second  act  of  punishment,  vers.  10,  11,  falli 
(11  c)  upon  the  rich.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
.  .  .  .  that  a  woeful  cry  shall  be  heard  from  the 
fish-gate,  which  also  occurs  in  2  Chron.  xxxiii. 
14;  Neh  iii  3  ;  xii.  39,  and  which,  according  to 
Hieron.,  led  to  Joppa,  so  that  the  nearest  way  to 
the  sea  passed  through  it ;  according  to  Neh.  iii, 
3,  however  (comp.  Robinson,  Pal.,  ii.  118),  it  did 
not  lead  westward,  but  northward  from  the  city, 
and  howling  from  the  lower  city.  The  New 
City,  literally,  the  second  city,  is  the  name  of  a 
part  of  the  city  (2  Kings  xxii.  14;  comp.  Neh.  xi 
9;  Jos.,  Ant.,  xv.  11.  5),  probably  of  the  suburb 
situated  to  the  north  (lower  city,  Robinson, 
Strauss),  in  which  the  Fish  Gate  was  situated, 
and  whence  from  the  natural  situation,  —  for  on 
the  other  side  Jerusalem  is  protected  by  the 
ground,  —  the  attack  of  the  enemies  was  to  be  ex- 
pected. [See  note  5  on  ver.  10.  —  C.  E.]  And 
great  destruction  from  the  hills,  ^"ip  taking 
the  place  of  the  verb,  as  in  Nah.  iii.  2,  is  construed, 
according  to  the  sense,  with  all  three  substan- 
tives. 

Ver.  1 1 .  Howl,  ye  inhabitants  of  the  Mortar 
—  evidently,  from  the  context,  also  a  section  of 
Jerusalem,  but  whose  situation  cannot  be  more  ex- 
actly defined.  Q^HwlS,  ^  mortar,  then  a  cavitv, 
as,  e.  ^.,  that  in  which'the  teeth  are  set  (Judges 
XV.  19),  will,  understood  as  a  locality,  designate 
that  part  of  the  city  situated  in  the  hollow  (Theo- 
dotion  :  eV  t^  (iddei) ;  and  it  lies,  we  may  suppose, 
nearest  to  the  valley  between  Moriah  and  Zion, 
the  locality  subsequently  known  as  the  Cheese- 
mongers' valley  [Tyropoeon].  For  all  the  mer- 
chant people  are  silent,  entirely  destroyed  (Ps. 
xlix.  13;  comp.  also  ver.  7  above),  cut  off  are  all 
those  that  are  laden  w^ith  silver.  The  context, 
which  is  concerned  throughout  with  localities  and 
wholly  with  the  judgment  of  the  city,  shows  that 

T^D3  DV  does  not  designate  the  inhabitants  of 
all  Canaan.  And  it  is  intended  to  consider 
"  Jerusalem  indicated  by  Canaan  as  far  as  it  is  of 
a  Canaanitish,  i.e.,  of  an  idolatrous  character" 
(Hengstenberg,  Strauss).  On  the  other  hand 
the  parallelism  shows  that  the  people  in  question 
are    rich.     Accordingly   we   must    suppose    that 

Ty3?  ny,  as  in  other  places  ">33733  (Job  xl.  30 
[A.  V.  xli.  6] ;  Prov.  xxxi.  24 ;  comp.  also,  Ob. 
20),  or  even  simply  T3733  (Is.  xxiii.  8),  designates 
the  traders  and  merchants  (Grot.,  Colin).  That 
these  as  the  more  recent  comers  to  the  great  city 
should  dwell  in  the  outlying  new  parts  of  it,  is  not 
strange,  but  natural.  [If  Hitzig  were  right  in 
placing  the  New  City,  according  to  the  Targum, 
on  Ophel,  then  it  would  be  still  more  natural  and 
still  more  characteristic  to  seek  for  the  dwellings 
of  the  merchants  here  also.  Comp.  above,  p.  68 
a,  and  Matt.  xxi.  12.]  [Keil :  "  The  name 
•mortar'  was  probably  coined  by  Zephaniah,  to 
point  to  the  fate  of  the  merchants  and  men  of 
money  who  lived  there.  They  who  dwell  th*.  a 
shall  nowl,  because  '  all  the  people  of  Canaan  are 


16 


ZEPHAXIAH. 


iestroved.'  These  are  not  Ciiiiaanitisli  or  Phceni- 
:iaii  n'lerchaiits,  i)Ut  Jiidican  merehaiits,  who  re- 
sembkni  the  (.'anaanit«.'s  or  rhneiiicians  in  their 
general  business  (see  at  Hos.  xii.  8),  and  had 
grown  rich  through  trade  and  usury."  —  C.  E.] 

Tlie  third  M-t  of  punishment  (vers.  12,  13),  falls 
upon  the  earele.-s  desjiisers.  And  it  will  come  to 
pass  at  that  time,  that  I  will  search  Jerusalem 
witb.  candles.  Theodoret :  O05'  ds  rwv  6<piiK6vT(cv 
Hktiu  5La<pev^erai  r})V  rifxccpiav,  aWa  irdvTas  avrous 
SiaSiiffo)  (T(payfj.  And  I  will  visit  the  men,  who 
lie  upon  their  lees,  —  like  old  wine  which  is  not 
drawn  off  (conip.  Jer.  xlviii.  11),  —  and  say  in 
ttieir  hearts  :  Jehovah  does  uo  good  and  no  evil. 
He  raav  perhaps  exist,  but  He  tloes  nothing  to  us. 

C^SDp  expresses  the  spiritual  obduracy  of  those 
who  deny  the  agency  of  God  in  the  world  (Jer.  x. 
5),  and  who,  in  the  opinion  that  chance  governs 
the  world,  despise  exhortation  and  warning,  and 
live  from  one  day  to  another." —  Hitzig.  By  such 
practical  denial  of  the  judgment  (comp.  Ps.  x. 
11  f. ),  they  call  it  down  upon  them  (comp.  Ps.  1. 
21  ff.). 

Ver.  13.  Their  goods,  in  which  they  take  pleas- 
ure, will  become  plunder,  in  the  midst  of  the 
wild  alarm  of  the  owners,  and  their  houses  des- 
olation. And  —  what  the  law  and  the  prophets 
predicted  (Deut.  xxviii.  30;  Am.  v.  11)  is  ful- 
tilled,  —  they  will  build  houses  and  not  dwell 
in  them,  and  plant  vineyards  and  not  drink 
their  wine.  The  apodoses  contain  the  proper 
threatenings  in  the  future ;  thereby  the  preterites 
receive  in  the  protases  the  signification  of  the  Fut. 
exact  um. 

Vers.  14-18.  Second  detailed  statement  in  the 
amplification  of  ver.  7.  The  Dreadfidness  of  the  Day 
of  Judgment.  The  day  of  Jehovah  is  near,  the 
great  [day]   (Joel    ii.  14    (11  1))  it  is  near  and 

hastes  greatly.  "-C^  is  not  the  participle  with  ^ 
omitted  (Hitz.) ;  but  the  adverbial  infinitive  (Joel 
ii.  5)  construed  with  the  verb  2'1~1lJ  (comp.  Ew., 
sec.  280  c).  Hark  (as  in  Nah.  iii.  2),  the  day  of 
Jehovah  ?  What  is  to  be  heard  1  bitterly  cries 

the  hero  there.  L  vip,  before  yom  Yeh5vah  ( the 
day  of  Jehovah),  at  the  head  of  an  interjectional 
clause,  has  almost  grown  into  an  interjection  (see 
at  Is.  xiii.  4).  The  hero  cries  bitterly,  because 
he  cannot  save  himself,  and  must  succumb  to  the 

power  of  the  foe."  Keil.  —  C.  E.]  nW7  is  not 
purely  local,  but  generally  indicates  the  situation 
like  our  "there"  ["da"].  Comp.  Nah.  iii.  15; 
Ps.  xiv.  .5.  a  day  of  wrath  is  that  day  (Is.  xix. 
18),  a  day  of  anguish  and  pressure  (Job  xv. 
24)  a  day  of  desolation  and  devastation  (Job 
XXX.  3 ;  on  the  emphatic  reduplication  compare 
Nah.  ii.  11)  ;  and  it  is  accompanied  not  only  by 
terrible  signs  of  destruction  upon  earth,  but  also 
by  the  troublous  agitation  of  the  elements  :  a  day 
of  darkness  and  gloom  (Joel  ii.  2),  a  day  of 
olouds  and  of  cloudy  darkness  (Deut.  iv.  11 )  — 
a  lay  of  the  reappearance  of  Jehovah  amidst  the 
SATie  sigi.s  as  on  Sinai.     Comp.  on  Ilab.  iii. 

Ver.  16.  A  day  of  the  trumpet  and  of  the  war 
cry  \_des  Geschmetlers,  battering).  Tiie  sound  of 
the  trumpet  introduces  God's  holy  festival  (Num. 
xxix.  1  ff.  ;  comp.  ver.  7  above)  ;  it  is  the  signal 
for  the  proclamation  of  God's  power  over  the  sin- 
fa*  people  ( Hos.  viii.  1 )  ;  it  is  the  war-signal  of 
desolation  (Am.  ii.  2).  All  three  significations 
we  realized  in  the  day  of  Jehovah's  holy  sacrifice ; 


and  the  last  especially  (comp.  Jos.  vi.  5)  over  th< 
fortified  cities  and  high  battlements,  behind 
which  the  wicked  people  vainly  imagine  them 
selves  secure  (Micah  v,  10  [11])- 

Ver.  17.  Yea,  I  will  put  the  people  in  dis- 
tress, so  that  they  will  walk  like  blind  men,  — 
groping  about  here  and  there  as  insecurely  (comp. 
i)eut.  xxviii.  29;  Nah.  ii.  5),  —  for  they  have 
siuned  against  Jehovah  ;  so  tbon  their  blood 
shall  be  poured  out  (term,  technicus  in  legislation 
pertaining  to  sacrifice,  comp.  ver.  7)  like  dust, — 
in  such  quantity  (Gen.  xiii.  16)  and  with  such 
contempt  (2  Kings  xiii.  7), — and  their  bowels 
(comp.  2  Sam.  x.\.  10,  properly  the  contents  of  the 

bowels,  their  food,  equivalent  to  Qn^,  Job  xx. 
23.  So  also  Strauss,  Colin,  Gesenius,  Ewald  ;  Hit- 
zig, according  to  the  Arab.,  "their  flesh"),  like 
dung. 

Ver.  18.  Neither  their  silver,  nor  their  gold 
—  all  the  classes,  whom  the  prophet,  ver.  8  (T.,  de- 
clared obnoxious  to  the  judgment,  were  somehow 
entangled  in  silver  and  gold,  —  will  deliver  them 

(Sv  D3  •  •  •  D3,  neither,  ror,  as  in  Ex.  v.  14.  Com- 
pare the  repetition  of  the  whole  passage,  Ezek.  vii. 
19),  in  the  day  of  Jehovah's  fury;  and  in  the 
fire  of  His  wrath  (comp.  2  Kings  xxii.  17),  shall 
the   whole   earth    be   devoured;   for   He   will 

make  an  end,  yea  (TJS,  as  in  Ps.  Ixxiii.  1),  • 
sudden  one,  to  aU  the  inhabitants  if  the  earth 
"*1  n73  is  construed,  like  i,  8,  as  a  fecond  accu 
sative;  literally.  He  makes  all  the  inhabitants  ol 
the  earth  a  destruction. 

Chap.  ii.  vers.  1-3.  The  Exhortation.  The  first 
words,  Itt^lpl  m7t2?1pnrT,  are  an  old  famous  cru3 
interpretiim.  Interpreters  derive  them  from  the 
root  WWp,  to  which  the  subst.  CL'i?,  stubble,  be- 
longs ;  and  from  which  a  Poel  tt^pip,  Ex.  v.  7- 
12  ;  Num.  xv.  32  f.  ;  1  Kings  xvii.  10-12,  with  the 
signification  of  "gather,"  is  found.  From  this 
the  Hithp.  reflexivum  combined  with  the  Kal  for 
the  purpose  of  strengthening  it  (comp.  Is.  xxix. 
6  ;  Hab.  i-  5),  may  be  derived  in  the  present  in- 
stance. Some  attempt,  in  the  most  different  ways, 
to  bring  into  the  context  the  signification  of 
"gather."  Either,  collect  yourselves  in  the  de- 
votional sense  ["  applied  to  that  spiritual  gather- 
ing which  leads  to  self-examination,  and  is  the 
first  condition  of  conversion."  Keil.  —  C.  E.]  ;  as 
we  use  the  word  in  German  (Strauss,  Keil) ;  or, 
withdraw,  keep  yourselves  at  a  distance,  sc.  from 
that  which  is  unclean  (Hitzig)  ;  or  assemble  your- 
selves, sc.  for  a  fast  [Bussfeier,  a  penitential  solem- 
nity—C.  E.]  (Chald.,  "Syr.,  Hier.,  Colin).  It 
is  scarcely  to  be  denied  that  by  all  these  interpr> 
tations  violence  is  done  to  the  words,  and  yet  in 
the  end  no  suitable  meaning  is  evolved.  In  view 
of  these  difficulties  it  seems  to  me  that  we  should 

without  hesitation,  have  recourse  to  the  root,  271p 
from  which  the  Hebrew  is  possessed  of  the  deriva- 
tive ntpp,  bow,  which  in  Arabic  (namely,  in  the 
v.  conj.  corresponding  to  the  Hithp.)  has  the  sig- 
nification of  incurvatus  est.  The  forms  are  the 
Hithpolel  and  Polel  (VJ?p  =  ^tr^ip,  comp 
^35^3%  instead  of  •13?.?^3\  Job  xxxi.  15),  ua 
less  one  prefers  to  consider  the  Dagesch  forte  it 
^t^ip  as  a  Masoretic  addition,  and  the  form  ai 


CHAPTERS    I.    l-ll.  3. 


Vi 


■mperative  Kal.  Accordingly,  we  translate  [the 
words],    bend     yourselves,    bend     (comp.    the 

2"^1327,  the  bent,  ver.  3)  ;  ami  this  translation 
agrees  well  with  the  tbliowing  vocative  clanse  :  O 
nation  (article  in  tiie  voc,  Gcs.,  sec.  109,  Hem. 
2),  that  dost  not  grow  pale.  The  ])riniitive  sig- 
nification of  the  root,   ^^2,    is  pullescere  (comp. 

PjD3) '  and  this  signification  is  evidently  to  be 
preferred  in  this  place  (Grot.,  Ges.,  Colin,  Ew., 
Hitz.,  Kcil)  to  the  more  common  one  to  "  lo)ig  af- 
ter" (Rosenm.,  Hav.,  Stranss).  The  people  that 
do  not  grow  pale  (comp.  Is.  xxix.  22  ;  Rrov.  vii. 
13)  are  the  insolent,  audacious  ]X'op!e  (LXX. 
eOfo^  aTraiSiVT6v)  who  sit  erect,  at  case  upon  their 
money  hags  (comp.  i.  12)  ;  and  whom  the  prophet 
hence  exhorts  to  bend  themselves,  before  the  stroke 
comes  from  above. 

Ver.  2.  Before  the  law  bring  forth.  [This  is 
the  reason  for  the  ap])eal,  ver.  1.  —  C.  E.j  The 
law  is  neither  the  appointed  time  (CiJlln),  nor  yet 
the  statute  of  the  prophecy,  the  decree  declared  in 
it  (the  other  interpreters),  but,  as  in  Micah  vii.  11, 
the  Mosaic  Law,  in  specie  Deuteronomy,  which  is 
most  familiar  to  our  prophet ;  that  which  it  brings 
forth  is  the  curse,  which  it  places  in  view,  the  day 
of  wrath  itself  (Deut.  .xxxi.  17).  For  ever3'thing 
brings  forth  what  is  in  it:  the  earth  brings  forth 
plants  (Is.  Iv.  10) ;  the  wicked,  mischief  (Job  xv. 
35).  And  this  bringing  forth  on  the  part  of  the 
law  will  come  with  unexpected  speed  :  ver.  2,  as 
swiftly  (Is.  xxix.  5)  as  chaflf  does  the  time  pass 
away,  which  still  remains  for  repentance.     It  is 

evident  that  we  must  understand  by  CV  in  this 
plaoe  also,  as  in  chap,  i.,  the  judgment  day 
(Strauss) ;  but  the  "1327  agrees  only  with  the  in- 
terval of  time  passing  rapidly  away ;  the  word 
does  not  mean  to  approach,  to  draw  on,  not  even 
in  the  passage,  Nah.  iii.  19,  cited  for  that  purpose 
[to  prove  that  it  means  to  approach,  etc.  —  C. 
E.]  by  Strauss.  After  this  short  parenthesis  the 
prophet  resumes  the  structure  of  the  sentence 
with  which  lie  commenced  :  before  the  wrath  of 
Jehovah  ....  come  upon  you. 

Ver.  3.  Seek  Jehovah,  all  ye  humble  of  the 

land :  ^'"'Sn  "^"1337,  an  idea  very  frequent  in  the 
Psalms,  at  first  rare  in  the  projjhets,  but  then  al- 
ways coming  prominently  into  view :  the  quiet, 
the  humble  in  the  land,  whose  righteous  conduct 
is  especially  manifested  in  their  separation  from 
the  proud  (i.  8  flf. )  in  lowliness  and  humility  be- 
fore God  (comp.  Micah  vi.  S),— Ye  who  have 
observed  his  right  [law  —  C.  E.] — have  not 
loved  strange  apparel  and  practiced  idolatry  — 
seek  righteousness,  seek  humility :  the  exhor- 
tation is  addressed  to  all,  who  in  general  are  still 
willing  to  hear  (comp.  ver.  1 )  :  perhaps  you  may 
yet  be  hidden  in  the  day  of  Jehovah's  wrath. 

DOCTRINAL  AND  ETHICAL. 

The  separation  of  the  godly-minded  race  from 
the  ungodly-minded  is   a    fundamental   principle 

tGrundpfeiler,  foundation-pillar]  of  the  order  of  the 
ingdom  of  God.  When  both  races  were  at  the 
first  intermingled,  the  fruit  of  the  union  was  the 
Deluge  (Gen.  vi.).  Hence  nothing  was  so  dis- 
tinctly enjoined  by  God  when  He  founded  his 
kingdom  anew  with  Abraham  and  Moses  as  the 
going  out  f  om  fatherland  and  kindred,  the  seg- 
aegation,    iil   one    word    the    sanctiticatiou   of   the 


nation  for  Himself.  But  gradually,  during  the 
decline  of  the  kingdom,  the  amalgamat'on  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  of  the  idolatry  of  the  world 
auain  crept  in.  A  clear  separation  between  the 
natui-e  of  Jehovah  and  that  of  idols  is  yet  scarcely 
possible,  and  the  sulistance  of  the  national  life  is 
infected  by  the  godless  influences  that  had  flowed 
it)  ;  i)artly,  in  such  a  way  that  the  communitj 
make  themselves  guilty  of  idolatry,  partly  because 
a  corrupting  deposit  of  complete  indifference  was 
formed.  Therefore,  Zephaniah  announces  a  new 
deluge.     Comp.  i.  2  f.  with  Gen.  vi.  7. 

Religion  and  morality  are  two  spheres  which 
cannot  be  separated.  An  upright  heart  can  have 
only  one  God,  and  in  cherishing  other  gods  be- 
sides God  lies  a  falseness,  which  bears  its  fruit  in 
the  field  of  morals.  Whilst  the  heart,  in  its  pro 
foundest  depths,  is  actuated  by  two  diametrically 
opposite  opinions,  it  is  necessary  that  these  influ- 
ences should  finally  neutralize  one  another.  In 
this  way  arises  indifference  toward  motives  drawn 
from  eternal  things.  This  indifference  has  a  two- 
fold result :  First,  temporal  motives,  among  which 
the  most  powerful  are  pride  (fashion)  and  avarice, 
take  the  place  of  eternal.  In  the  second  place,  the 
other  result  of  this  fearless,  practical  atheism  is: 
God  does  no  good  and  no  evil. 

In  the  O.  T.  atheism  has  always  its  baneful 
effect  in  the  sphere  of  the  practical.  It  is  not  so 
much  a  denying  of  the  divine  existence,  as  of  the 
divine  judgment.  Comp.  Ps.  xiv.  As  the  wis- 
dom of  the  pious  man  is  fear  of  God,  so  the  folly 
of  the  godless  man  is  fearlessness  of  God.  "  The 
godless  say  in  their  hearts  :  God  does  no  evil  and 
no  good"  (i.  12).  What  does  the  phrase,  "in 
their  hearts,"  mean  ?  Although  shame  and  fear 
deter  men  from  publicly  exhibiting  their  unright- 
eousness, yet  they  utter  those  thoughts  secretly, 
and  are  of  the  opinion  that  God  either  does  not 
exist,  or  that  He  sits  tranquilly  in  heaven.  This 
is  the  very  climax  of  godlessness,  when  men,  in- 
toxicated with  sensual  pleasure,  divest  God  of  his 
office  of  judge :  when  He  is  not  recognized  as 
judge,  what  remains  of  his  godhead  ?  The  maj- 
esty and  the  kingdom  of  God  do  not  consist  in  any 
visionary  splendor,  but  in  duties,  which  belong  so 
entirely  to  Him  alone,  that  they  cannot  be  sep- 
arated from  his  being.  To  Him  it  belongs  to  own, 
to  govern  the  world,  to  care  for  the  human  race,  to 
distinguish  between  good  and  evil,  to  succor  the 
miserable,  to  punish  crime,  to  suppress  unjust 
power.  He  who  deprives  Him  of  this  retains  an 
idol."  Calvin.  The  theocratic  atheism  ^  is  foreign 
to  the  O.  T.,  as  in  general  abstract  thinking  is  not 
a  Biblical  idea.  "  When  the  Scripture  speaks  of 
thinking,  it  includes  the  will  with  it,  and  gives  us 
to  understand  that  thinking  and  willing  are  one 
and  the  same  act  in  man.  For  a  living  man  so 
thinks,  that  he  at  the  same  time  loves,  hates,  hopes, 
fears  the  thing  of  which  he  thinks,  is  inclined  or 
averse  to  it ;  he  so  wills  that  he  wills  \oyiKa>s,  and 
he  cannot  will,  without  at  the  same  time  thinking 
of  that  which  is  willed.  The  thoughts  do  not  pre 
cede  the  will,  but  they  include  it,  and  are  in  a  cer 
tain  manner  intellectual  acts  of  the  will.  It  is  evi- 
ilent  that  neither  the  imagination  and  puipose 
(Gen.  vi.  5),  nor  the  doubting  or  joyful  thoughts 
nor   the   crafty  and   especially  political  thought* 

(Prov.  xii.  5),  nor,  in   general,  the  word  I^tSTI 

with  its  derivatives,  can  be  correctly  interpreted 

1  [Kleinert  has  "  Der  theokratische  Atheismus :  •''  he  prok 
ably  wrote  "  Der  tke.nrftwhf  Atheixmux  ■  -  C.  E.  | 


10 


ZKi'llANlAH. 


if  we  separate  the  will  t'nmi  tliem.  It  is  nowhere 
said  that  thou<;lits  have  iiuideil,  discivdered,  or  mis- 
led the  will ;  but  it  is  said  that  man  is  misled  by 
them,  or  walks  after  them.  The  Scripture  ascribes 
also  to  the  thoughts  malice,  injustice,  and  perver- 
sity, which  could  not  be  done,  unless  they  were,  at 
tlie  same  time,  acts  of  the  will."     Koos. 

As  the  error  of  atheists  is  act  [practical],  so  also 
they  can  be  made  sensible  of  it  only  by  act.  The 
li^ht,  under  which  they  apprehend  it,  is  likewise 
the  light  of  the  approaching  judi;ment,  with  which 
God  punishes  them.  They  are  accustomed  to  look 
ujpon  everythint;-  that  happens,  in  a  fatalistic  man- 
ner, as  a  necessary  cycle  of  sowing  and  harvesting, 
of  building  and  possessing,  and  to  disregard  the 
factcr  of  divine  grace  lying  at  the  foundation  of 
the  whole.  Therefore  God  must  break  up  at  once 
this  cycle  ;  He  must  cause  the  fruit  to  fail  the  seed, 
the  inhabitancy  to  fail  the  building :  then  they  be- 
come aware  that  He  exists.  Then  the  insolent 
heroes  cry  bitterly. 

The  most  pernicious  fruit  of  indifference  is  the 
shamelessness,  which  no  longer  turns  pale.  "  Shame 
is  the  first  prophetess,  when  thou  turnest  aside,  the 
first  that  beckons  thee  back  again  to  the  land  of 
peace,  —  [it  is]  consciousness  of  guilt,  an  arrow 
of  conscience,  a  ra}'  of  God  Almighty  in  the  very 
act,  a  turning  back  of  the  course  of  our  blood  and 
thoughts,  of  our  sea  of  emotions  and  instincts  ;  a 
fjHTavoia  of  our  body."  Herder.  As  the  extinction 
of  shame  indicates,  in  the  individual  man,  the  be- 
ginning of  a  hopeless  condition,  so  does  it  also  in 
the  life  of  a  nation.  So  long  as  the  whole  body  of 
the  people  retains  a  feeling  of  shame,  many  indi- 
vidual, even  heinous  sins,  may  be  borne,  without 
serious  injury  to  the  whole.  But  if  that  ceases, 
then  the  enormity  of  individual  crimes,  considered, 
in  comparison  with  earlier  times,  may  perhaps 
prove  a  kind  of  progress  in  civilization,  and  yet  the 
condition  of  the  whole  may  have  become  thereby 
a  much  more  vicious  one.  Even  that  progress 
commonly  lies  in  the  laxity  of  the  moral  judg- 
ment. 

However  unexpectedly  the  acts  of  God  come, 
their  seeds,  nevertheless,  always  exist  anyhow  al- 
ready in  the  present,  and  they  are  disposed  into 
the  continuity  of  one  divine  guidance  of  the  king- 
dom from  the  beginning  forward.  The  seed  of  the 
judgment  lies  in  the  law.  This  fiact  implies  that 
the  judgment  is  not  merely  a  negative,  but  a  posi- 
tive act  of  God.  It  is  a  birth,  although  a  birth 
under  the  form  of  death. 

The  decisive  turning-point,  which  from  the  Old 
Testament  history  of  the  kingdom  takes  the  direc- 
tion of  that  of  the  New  Testament,  is  the  aban- 
donment of  the  nation  as  such  by  the  prophets. 
Zephaniah  discriminates  between  an  ecclesia  in 
the  ecclesia,  and  this  exhortation,  so  far  as  hope 
is  expressed  in  it,  is  intended  for  this  congregation 
of  the  lowly  and  humble. 

With  this  begins  the  stand-point  of  the  abandon- 
ment, which,  continued  by  the  later  prophets,  has 
its  ultimate  fulfillment  in  the  beatitudes  of  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount.  At  the  same  time  a  Mes- 
sianic jirogress  lies  in  this  apparent  retrogression. 
Because,  viz.,  the  internal  condition  of  a  humble 
mind  t.Hl-.js  the  i)lace  of  the  external  one  of  na- 
tional relationship,  a  new  point  of  view  deter- 
uiiiu's  their  adoption  to  salvation.  In  this  view 
even  those  who  are  not  Israelites  may  fulfill  the 
preliminary  conditions  of  salvation  (Acts  x.  35). 
To  the  Anatoli  —  humility  well  jjleasing  to  God 
—  belongs  also  the  renunciation  of  the  particular 
arivileges  of  descent  from  Abraham. 


CoccEius  :  The  day  of  the  Lord,  in  the  wides? 
sense,  is  that  time  in  which  Gcd  proves  Himself  m 
King,  Lord,  and  Judge:  in  a  narrower  .sense,  it  in 
that  day  which  all  the  [irophets  have  longed  to 
see,  —  the  day  of  the  appearance  of  God  in  the  New 
Covenant.  Accordingly  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  tc 
be  understood  principally  of  the  advent  of  the 
Messiah  in  the  flesh,  which  is  connected  with  the 
judgment  upon  the  unbelieving  ;  but  moreover  it 
is  also  to  be  understood  of  the  immediate  forerun- 
ner of  that  day.  So  Zephaniah  announces  as  its 
precursor  and  herald  another  day  rJong  with  the 
destruction  of  offenses,  and  purification  by  means 
of  the  Babylonian  captivity.  And  where  the  proph 
ets  speak  of  the  times  after  the  advent  of  Christ, 
the  day  of  the  Lord  is  the  last  judgment  day, 
which  times,  like  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and 
the  Reformation,  precede,  like  trumpets,  and  an 
nounce  the  coming  of  the  Lord  to  the  kingdom  of 
the  world  and  to  the  final  judgment. 

Strauss  :  Thus  a  sacred  edifice  is  built  before 
our  eyes,  whose  foundation  stands  on  God's  right- 
eous love  and  our  sin  ;  to  which  every  act  of  pun- 
ishment and  every  manifestation  of  grace  adds  a 
stone,  on  which  finally,  after  the  close  of  all  his- 
tory, the  crown  is  set  by  the  judgment  of  the 
world. 


HOMILETICAL. 

What  must  we  do  in  order  to  escape  (ii.  3)  the  cotH' 
ing  wrath  (i.  2  ;  iii.  7)  "? 

1.  Seek  righteousness :  turn  yourselves  — 

(a)  From  the  unrighteousness  of  a  divided  heart,, 
which  would  give  a  part  to  God  and  a  part  to  idols 
(i.  4,  5.) 

(b)  From  the  unrighteousness  of  a  cold  heart 
which  does  not  care  for  God,  and  deprives  Him  of 
the  honor  due  to  Him.    (i.  6.) 

2.  Seek  humility :  turn  — 

(a)  From  the  pride  of  sensual  pleasure,  (i.  8,  9.) 

(b)  From  the  pride  of  avarice,  (i.  9-12.) 

3.  Do  it  speedily,  for  — 

(a)  The  day  is  coming  shortly,     (i.  14  AT.) 
(6)  Helpless  is  the  situation  of  those  who  meet 
it  unprepared,     (i.  17  ;  ii.  1.) 

(c)  The  Word  of  God  is  unchangeable,  (ii.  2  a.) 

(d)  The  time  quickly  passes  away.  (ii.  2  b.) 
On  ver.  2  f. :    We  have  in   the   best  case  our 

pleasure  in  the  wonderful  power  and  wisdom  of 
God,  who  has  made  all  things  in  the  world  so  glo 
rious,  and  who  governs  them  so  well.  We  think 
too  little  of  the  fact,  that  as  everything  is  from 
Him,  so  He  can  make  an  end  of  everything  at  once. 
To  the  godless  man,  who  does  not  see  in  the  uni- 
verse the  creative  hand  of  one  God,  the  whole 
world  is  a  heap  of  ruins.  No  wonder  that  he  feels, 
in  judgment  and  in  death,  as  if  the  ruins  were 
f:\lling  over  him.  To  the  pious  man,  however,  in 
this  painful  moment,  the  anticipative  recognition 
of  the  divine  ordering  [of  the  world  —  C.  E.]  is 
a  strong  support  [sdnle,  pillar]  :  he  has  consolatioD 
in  his  death.  Prov.  xiv.  'V2.  How  much  has  God 
to  judge  in  thy  heart,  if  He  will  destroy  "  the  rem- 
nant of  Baal."  The  service  of  the  one  God  is  the 
most  simple,  and  yet  for  the  regulation  of  life  the 
most  difficult ;  all  are  involuntarily  syncretists,  and 
the  heart  is  full  of  altars.  How  many  a  one  kin- 
dles a  fire  for  the  truth,  but  in  the  impure  flame 
one  must  perceive  that  the  altar,  on  which  he  kin 
dies  it,  is  erected,  not  to  God,  but  to  the  idol  of  hi» 
sordid  zeal.  Every  idol  is  a  master;  one  may  call 
it  Baal,  or  Moloch,  or  Adon  (ver.  9) :  th^  meaning 


(•liAPTEi;S   I.    l-II.  3. 


IS 


of  the  words  is  the  same  ;  he  who  does  not  serve 
God  is  all  the  more  a  slave.  (Kom.  vi.  16-19.) 
And  his  is  indeed  a  slavery  to  unrij;hteousness,  for 
none  of  the  idols  which  we  honor  has  surpassed 
us  in  anythinir,  that  we  should  be  under  obligation 
to  recompense  it. —  Ver.  6.  He  who  does  not  ask 
after  God,  is  to  be  considered  eo  ipso  an  apostate. 
There  is  an  indifference  in  external  peace,  which  is 
worse  than  direct  hostility  against  God,  because 
more  hopeless.  He  who  iiatters  such  indifference, 
as  if  it  were  piety,  is  also  a  servant  of  unright- 
eousness.—  Ver.  7.  One  thing  is  wanting  in  this 
sacrifice  of  the  Old  Testament,  —  the  purity  of  the 
victim.  The  perfect  sacrifice  of  the  divine  judg- 
ment of  wrath  is  Jesus  Christ.  In  this  God  has 
also  sanctified  his  guests ;  in  spite  of  themselves 
and  without  knowing  it,  Caiphas  and  Herod  and 
Pilate  are  obliged  to  bear  testimony  to  God.  — 
Ver.  8  f.  Those  who  wear  soft  raiment  are  in 
kings'  houses.  Even  where  a  righteous  king  rules, 
court  air  is  a  dangerous  air,  and  whoever  is  placed  in 
it  must  keep  a  threefold  watch  over  his  heart ;  that 
ne  do  not  fall  into  vicious  habits  ;  that  he  do  not 
practice  idolatry  with  earthly  things  ;  that  he  do 
not,  without  intending  it,  by  means  of  adulation, 
partisan  conaucc,  or  by  laziness,  heap  up  deceit 
and  crime.  An  upright  heart  finds  the  way  even 
here  (Jer.  xxxviii.  7  ff. ).  An  evangelical  minister 
should  not  dishonor  the  house  of  his  God  by  a 
strange  dressing  of  his  body  and  imitation  of 
strange  ceremonies.  Whoever  thinks  to  increase 
the  property  [Habe]  of  God  by  dishonest  means, 
legacy-hunting,  etc.,  makes  God  an  idol.  —  Ver. 
lOf.  Trade  and  traffic  are  good  things  ;  but  they 
are  not  the  pillars,  on  which  a  kingdom  stands 
firm.  —  Ver.  11.  If  men  allow  the  light  to  go  out 
in  their  heart  and  conscience  (Fs.  cxix.  105),  God 
must  set  up  his  light.  Although  they  do  not  come 
to  the  light,  yet  the  time  is  coming  when  they  will 
not  be  asked  whether  they  will  come  or  not.  — 
Ver.  12.  A  knowledge  of  God's  existence  does 
not  determine  the  salvation  of  the  soul.  With 
it  the  soul  may  become  corrupt  and  perish.  The 
life  of  man  is  action,  and  piety  is  found,  where 
the  will  conforms  itself  to  the  acts  of  God. 
Such  a  man  cannot  remain  at  ease,  for  in  the 
kingdom  of  God  there  is  everywhere  much  to 
do.  —  Ver.  13.  It  is  painful  to  be  obliged  to  for- 
Bake  his  goods  and  the  work  of  his  hands.  And 
yet  this  is  the  lot  of  all,  who  have  obtained  pos- 
session of  only  earthly  things,  and  who  have  been 
occupied  with  earthly  things.  They  come  to  the 
judgment  with  hands  entirely  empty.  For  such 
(ver.  14)  the  day  of  God  is  always  too  near.  Then 
bU  those,  who,  as  long  as  they  were  in  full  posses- 
sion of  their  earthly  goods  and  powers,  were  es- 
teemed by  every  one  mighty  heroes,  become  cow- 
ards. For  what  they  esteemed  power  was  not  their 
own.  —  Ver.  15  ff.  How  does  he  quake,  who  from 
all  his  possessions,  plans,  and  devious  ways  has 
been  cast  into  the  solitary  prison.  What  must  it 
be  only  to  be  inclosed  by  God's  prison  ?  There 
even  the  stoutest  bulwarks  of  the  heart  break  in 
pieces  before  the  sound  of  God's  trumpet.  There 
even  the  most  ingenious  plan  is  like  the  groping 
of  a  blind  man.  For  the  things  with  which  man 
8  accustomed  to  plan  and  to  act,  refuse  their  ser- 
vice. There  even  the  most  audacious  head  must 
bow  (ii.  1 ).  —  Ver.  2.  We  need  not  tremble  before 
the  dark  powers  of  the  world,  which  are  pregnant 
with  mischief  and  destruction  ;  but  before  that,  by 
which  the  law  of  God,  which  judges  us,  is  preg- 
nant. Thanks  to  God  that  He  himself  has  begotten 
(he  Son,  who  has  destroved  the  curse  engendered 


by  the  law.  But  make  haste  to  be  saved.  In  the 
whole  Gospel  we  read  only  of  one,  who  was  saved 
at  the  twelfth  hour;  for  how  m.any  has  the  time 
passed  away.  In  the  O.  T.  the  "  day  of  the  Lord  " 
is  the  day  of  wrath  :  in  the  N.  T.  it  is  the  day  of 
joy.  —  Ver.  3.  Mere  humiliation  and  feai  are  of 
no  use ;  by  them  one  may  attempt  many  foolish 
expedients"  (Micah  vi,  6  ff.";  Gen.  iv.  13  ff. ;  Matt, 
xxvii.  5).  Positive  action  must  accompany  them  : 
the  seeking  of  God  with  the  whole  heart  and  an 
assurance  of  deliverance  founded  on  faith.  It  is  no 
contradiction,  therefore,  when  it  is  said,  Ye  hum- 
bled ones  seek  humility.  The  disposition  produced 
by  the  preaching  of  judgment  must  become  con- 
scious action  and  steadfast  way. 

Luther  :  Ver.  4.  The  pious  king  effected  this 
much,  that  idolatiy  did  not  rule.  Nevertheless 
some  always  remained.  And  we  have  no  reason 
yet  to  hope,  that,  were  we  going  to  suppress  all 
ungodlv  practices  in  the  same  way,  all  men  would 
become  pious.  For  if  that  could  have  been  done,  it 
would  certainly  have  been  done  by  this  king,  who 
was  considered  preeminently  faithful,  over  the  law 
and  service  of  God.  The  Chemarim  were  a  remark- 
able people  and  well  disciplined  in  the  idolatrous 
service,  for  they  took  their  name  from  their  earnest 
and  great  devotion.  They  produced  an  erroneous 
opinion  among  the  people,  that  they  were  of  all 
others  the  most  assiduous  in  religion  and  divine 
worship.  I  am  entirely  of  the  opinion  that  they 
were  such  people  as  the  monks  of  the  present  day 
are.  —  Ver.  8.  It  is  evident  that  he  speaks  of  the 
most  powerful,  who  imitated  the  foreign  customs, 
dress,  and  manners  of  the  surrounding  countries, 
abandoned  their  native  manners,  usages,  and  dress^ 
just  like  the  Germans  of  our  time,  who  are  apes 
of  almost  all  nations.  But  this  is  a  proof  of  a 
great  frivolity  and  of  an  unstable  disposition 
Magnisqne  negatum,  stare  diu  (ii.  3).  This  prophet, 
beyond  all  others,  urges  humility.  He  knows  well 
that  only  the  lowly  please  God,  and  that,  on  the 
contrary,  the  proud,  pompous,  and  hardened  do 
spisers  displease  him. 

Starke  :  Ver.  1.  God  bears  with  the  ungodly 
for  a  time  and  does  good  to  them  by  pious  magis- 
trates and  preachers,  in  order  that  He  may  thereby 
lead  them  to  repentance.  —  Ver.  2.  To  human 
eyes  it  certainly  appears  that  war  arises  from  this 
or  that  quarrel  among  men,  but  the  Scripture 
teaches  us  that  the  exciting  cause  of  all  wars  is  the 
sin  and  guilt  of  the  land,  by  which  God  is  moved 
to  vengeance.  There  is  no  calamity,  which  the 
Lord  does  not  send  (Am.  iii.  6).  —  Ver.  4.  God 
is  bound  to  no  place.  Wlien  the  wickedness  of 
men  increases  in  a  city.  He  causes  it  to  be  laid 
waste,  though  the  true  religion  has  long  borne 
sway  in  it.  —  Ver.  5.  The  announcement  that  God 
would  extirpate  idolaters,  who  wished  to  unite 
idolatry  with  the  true  worship  of  God,  could  pow- 
erfully strengthen  the  faithful  in  their  struggle. 
The  true  worship  of  God  suffers  no  idolatry  by  the 
side  of  it.  It  is  quite  possible,  that  those  who 
have  been  once  born  again  may  lose  their  faith 
and  fall  irom  the  grace  of  God.  Seeking  and  ask- 
ing suppose  a  salutary  knowledge  of  God,  by  which 
his  goodness  and  kindness  are  tasted.  When  we 
have  tasted  these  the  longing  after  God  becomes 
always  greater ;  then  we  seek  to  know  God  always 
more  and  more  truly. — Ver.  7.  Ungodly  people 
complain,  when  they  are  obliged  to  hear  the  divine 
threatenings  on  account  of  their  sins,  or  to  feel  thf 
hand  of  God,  but  pious  people  are  still  and  bear  the 
wrath  of  the  Lord.  —  Ver.  0.  He  who  brings  un- 
lawful possessions  into  his  house,  brings  thcdivii,< 


20 


ZEPIJANIAll. 


curse  with  them.  —  Ver.  11.  To  ply  trade  is  not 
wroiii,'  in  itself;  but  God  does  not' allow  dishon- 
esty in  it  to  go  unpunished.  —  Ver.  12.  Those 
who  are  in  the  Church,  and  yet  deny  the  divine 
omniscience,  are  worse  than  the  heathen.  Before 
destruction  comes  security.  Wine  is  a<;:itated  and 
turbid,  when  it  is  poured  out  of  one  cask  into  an- 
other;  hut  if  it  remains  in  one  cask,  it  settles  and 
f)ruduces  tartar.  So  it  is  with  hypocrites  :  they 
isten,  to  be  sure,  to  the  preaching  of  the  prophets  ; 
but  they  do  not  allow  themselves  to  be  made  un- 
easy thereby  in  their  consciences,  and  become 
finally  as  hard  as  stone. —  Ver.  14.  (3rod  ffivaa 
coura;4e,  and  can  take  it  away. —  Ver.  17.  That 
men  err  in  counsel  is  a  judgment  of  God.  —  Ver. 
18.  If  the  wrath  of  an  earthly  king  is  a  messenger 
of  death  (Prov.  xvi.  14;  Esth.  vii.  7),  how  much 
more  the  terrible  wrath  of  Almighty  God. —  Chap. 
ii.  ver.  1 .  Though  no  man  can  become  entirely  per- 
fect in  piety  here,  yet  we  must  see  to  it  that  we  do 
not  stand  still  in  godliness,  much  less  go  back,  but 
always  advance  and  become  more  perfect  from  day 
to  day.  God  has  power  to  hide  his  own  in  the 
day  of  wrath  upon  the  ungodly. 

Pfaff  :  Ver.  5.  Those  who  swear  by  the  Lord, 
and  who  say,  "  as  sure  as  the  Lord  liveth,"are  not 
meant  alone,  but  those  also  who  have  sworn  obe- 
dience and  fidelity  to  the  Lord  and  yet  practice 
idolatry  and  also  wish  to  unite  the  true  with  the 
false  worship  of  God.  —  Ver.  8.  The  foolish  imi- 
tation of  foreign  dress  and  fashions  is  a  siun  of 
great  vanity  and  of  a  damnable  pride.  This  vanity 
also  will  be  punished.  To  build  houses,  to  pl.int 
vineyards,  to  use  the  possessions  of  this  world,  is 
entirely  right.  But  then  they  become  a  snare  to 
him  who  does  not  consecrate  his  work  by  means 
of  sincere  conversion  to  the  Lord.  —  Ver.  16. 
What  terror  will  the  day  of  the  last  trumpet  pro- 
duce among  men  !  Let  then  the  voice  of  this  trum- 
pet sound  now  in  our  ears,  in  order  that  we  may, 
while  it  is  yet  the  time  of  grace,  turn  to  the  Lord. 
—  Ver.  18.  Ye  rich,  your  silver  and  your  gold 
cannot  deliver  you  in  the  day  of  God's  wrath.  Seek 
then  a  possession  which  remains  and  endures  for- 
ever.—  Chap  ii.  ver.  1.  Nothing  is  more  necessary 
and  more  useful  for  one  who  is  desirous  of  his  sal- 
vation, than  self-examination.  How  much  better  is 
it  that  we  judge  ourselves  before  we  are  judged  of 
the  Lord. 

RiEGER  :  P'rom  the  whole  representation  of  the 
prophet  one  sees  with  what  great  earnestness  that 
which  is  recorded  (2  Kings  xxiii.  25  tf.),  was 
spoken  :  Josiah  turned  himself  with  his  whole 
heart,  with  his  whole  soul,  with  all  his  might,  to 
;he  Lord  ;  yet  the  Lord  turned  not  from  the  fury 
")f  his  wrath  and  said,  I  will  remove  Judah  al>o 
out  of  my  sight.  The  like  may  often  happen  in 
one  ( Amon's)  reign  that  God  will  never  cease  until 
He  has  destroyed  not  only  the  ungodly,  but  also 
their  offenses  [that  against  which  or  by  which  a 
person  meets  with  a  fall  —  a  stumbling-block, 
scandal.  See  Exeget,  ver.  3 — C.  PI],  not  only 
the  sinful  customs  introduced  by  them,  but  also  the 
places  and  houses,  which  have  become  to  others 
ways  to  hell.  How  accurately  does  God  know 
what  a  wicked  heart  all  outbreaks  of  sin  have  as 
their  source,  since  they  do  not  even  fear  God,  do 
■ot  esteem  Him,  do  not  ask  after  Him.  And  again, 
bow  does  He  examine  not  only  the  hearts  and 
tiiins,  but  observe  also  what  kind  of  dress  men 
wear.  What  docs  God  often  draw  forth  from  that 
which  is  coneeale<l  as  soon  as  He  begins  to  search 
«'ith  enndles.  How  little  consolation  do  even  great 
oossessioTis  uive  in  the  day  of  such  wrath.  —  Chap.  | 


ii.  ver.  1  ff.  At  first  the  prophet  must  certainly  havi 
discovered  something  good  among  the  entire  hostile 
people  by  which  they  might  still  enjoy  a  mitigation 
in  the  day  of  judgment.  But  when  there  was  littk 
or  nothing  to  be  discovered  among  them,  he  never- 
theless  addresses  those  in  distress,  who,  under  the 
prevailing  unrighteousness,  had  to  suifer  more  thf.9 
pleasure  from  it,  and  he  rouses  them,  that  they 
may  not  fall  asleep  over  the  necessity  of  the  time, 
but  seek  the  Lord,  who  conceals  himself  at  such  a 
time,  and  that  with  all  the  consolation  of  a  good 
conscience  in  righteousness,  they  should  neverthe- 
less, though  doomed  to  every  kind  of  sorrow,  resign 
themselves  to  humility.  Although  every  one  in 
such  common  calamities  is  involved  in  much  trou- 
ble, yet  there  are  exceptions  enough,  if  one  is  so 
concealed,  as,  «.(/.,  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
was  the  case  with  the  prophet  Jeremiah  (xxxix.  11 
f.),  Baruch  (Ixv.  5),  Ebedmelech  (xxxix.  17  f.). 

BuRCK  :  On  ver.  1.  God,  therefore,  permitted 
the  reign  of  the  pious  Josiah  to  precede  the  final 
doom  of  Judah,  in  order  that  all  excuse  might  be 
taken  from  the  Jews.  They  might  have  said,  Our 
kings  compelled  us  to  this  and  to  that.  If  so,  the 
answer  was  now  ready  :  Josiah  did  not  compel  you, 
rather,  as  far  as  he  could,  he  sought  to  turn  you  ; 
but  ye  continued  obstinate. 

Thbodoret  :  Ver.  4.  For  as  I  (Jehovah)  made 
fowls  and  fishes  and  cattle  for  the  service  of  men, 
so  will  I  destroy  the  former  also  with  the  latter. 
They  are  unnecessary  where  there  are  none  to 
make  use  of  them. 

HiERON. :  The  dumb  brutes  also  feel  the  wrath 
of  God.  When  men  and  cities  are  destroyed,  then 
one  sees  also  that  beasts,  birds,  etc.,  disappear.  Of 
this  Illyria,  Thrace,  and  also  Judaea  bear  testimony. 
I  come  from  the  last  named  country,  and  there 
everything  except  heaven  and  earth  and  increas- 
ing wilderness  has  perished. 

ScHLiER  :  Ver.  4.  Not  much  was  gained  by  Jo- 
siah's  reformation.  Therefore  the  Lcrt-d  himself 
will  undertake  a  reformation. 

Theremin  :  Ver.  7.  God  will  first  speak  in  the 
judgment.  He  will  say,  Ye  had  Moses  and  the 
prophets  ;  ye  had  my  words,  which  are  light  and 
life;  why  would  ye  not  hear  them?  These  re- 
proaches will  roll  like  thunder  in  the  ears  of  the 
guilty.  Then  the  thunders  will  be  silent,  and  the 
judge  will  be  silent,  and  a  silence  more  terrible 
than  the  thunder  will  ensue,  —  the  silence  of  the 
eternal  decision. 

Abarbanel:  Ver.  11.  Because  the  people  have 
become  like  the  Canaanites  in  sin,  therefore,  like 
them  also  shall  they  be  driven  out  of  Canaan. 

Schmieder  :  The  prophet  uses  the  name  cf  a 
part  of  the  city  ("  Morser,"  mortar),  in  order  to 
intimate  that  those  who  dwell  there,  are  about  to 
be  brayed  in  this  mortar. 

HiERON.  :  Ver.  13.  He  will  leave  nothing  un- 
punished. If  we  read  the  history  of  Josephus,  it 
is  there  written,  how  the  princes,  priests,  and  no- 
bles were  drawn  from  cloacae,  lurking-places,  pita, 
and  ditches,  where  they  had  concealed  themselvos 
in  fear  of  death. 

Keil  :  In  the  carnal  repose  of  their  earthly 
fortune  they  think  in  their  hearts,  that  there  is  no 
God,  who  rules  and  judges  the  world,  that  every- 
thing takes  place  by  chance,  or  according  to  inani- 
mate laws  of  nature.  They  did  not  deny  the  ex- 
istence of  God,  but  they  denied,  in  their  disposition 
and  conduct,  the  working  of  the  living  God  in  the 
world,  they  regarded  Jehovah  on  a  level  with  dead 
idols,  which  neither  do  good  nor  evil.      Is.  y.li.  23 

J.  ScHMiD  •  The   prophet  employe  ►neb  an  ac 


CHAPTEKS  II.  4-III. 


21 


cumulation  of  almost  synonymous  words  in  order 
to  intimate  on  the  one  hand  the  certainty  of  the 
thing,  and  on  the  other  to  inspire  the  Jews  with 
fear,  and  to  deprive  them  of  all  excuse,  that  they 
have  not  been  sufficiently  warned,  and  that  with 
suitable  warning  they  would  have  sought  the  rec- 
onciliation of  God. 

Strauss:  Ver.  16.  The  sacrifice  of  joy  (Ps. 
xxvii.  6),i  which  the  ungrateful  people  did  not  wish 
to  bring,  God  himself  now  prepares.  The  power 
af  the  trumpet's  sound  continues  irresistible  ;  once 
It  captured  the  cities  of  Judah,  now  it  destroys 
Ihem  who  were  once  captors. 


CoccEius  :  Chap.  ii.  ver.  3.  To  seek  God,  i.  e., 
to  direct  every  wish,  thought,  and  effort  to  this  end,, 
that  one  may  know  where  He  is  and  how  holy  He 
is,  and  what  are  his  ways,  in  order  that  thou  may- 
est  exalt  Him,  and  fleeing  to  Him  enjoy  Him  as  thy 
own.  To  seek  righteousness,  i.  e.,  to  wish  to  pos- 
sess that  condition,  by  which  man  is  an  heir  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  —  a  condition  which  man  does 
not  have  of  himself.  (Hab.  ii.  4.)  To  seek  humil- 
ity, i.  e.,  to  seek  that  condition  of  soul,  by  which 
man  renounces  himself  and  his  righteousness, 
trusts  in  God,  and  cheerfuHy  forgives  his  neighboi 
for  God's  sake. 


REASONS. 
Chap.  II.  4 -III.  7. 


Ver.  4  For  Gaza  shall  be  forsaken, 

And  Ashkelon  shall  become  a  desolation , 
Ashdod,  they  shall  drive  her  out  at  noon-day,* 
And  p]kron  shall  be  rooted  out. 


5  Woe  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  sea-coast !  ^ 
The  nation  of  the  Cherithim  !  ^ 
The  word  of  Jehovah  is  against  you, 

0  Canaan,  land  of  the  Philistines  ! 

1  will  destroy  thee,  that  there  shall  be  no  inhabitant. 

6  And  the  sea-coast  ^  shall  become  places  for  pasture, 
And  fo)ds  for  flocks. 

7  And  the  coast  ^  shall  be  for  the  remnant  of  the  house  of  Judah  ; 
Upon  them  will  they  feed  ; 

In  the  houses  of  Ashkelon  shall  they  lie  down  in  the  evening, 
For  Jehovah,  their  God,  will  visit  them, 
And  turn  their  captivity. 

4 

8  I  have  heard  the  reproach  of  Moab, 
And  the  revilings  of  the  sons  of  Ammon, 
Who  [wherewith  they]  have  reviled  my  people, 
And  acted  insolently  against  their  boundary. 

9  Therefore  as  I  live,  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts, 
The  God  of  Israel : 

Surely  Moab  shall  become  like  Sodom, 
And  the  sons  of  Ammon  like  Gomorrah, 
A  possession  of  nettles  and  salt-pits,* 
And  a  desolation  forever. 

The  remnant  of  my  people  shall  plunder  them, 
And  the  residue  of  my  nation  shall  possess  them. 

10  This  shall  be  to  them  for  their  pride. 

Because  they  have  reviled  and  carried  themselves  haughtily 
Against  the  people  of  Jehovah  of  hosts. 

1  [The  allusion  to  Ps.  xxvii.  6  is  better  understood  by  the  i  Lev.  xxv.  9  the  same  word  signifies  the  sound  of  a  tmmpet 


OMT^nal  reading,  "  sacrifices  of  shouting."  The  Heb.  word 
wolered  "  shotitins  "  in  Ps.  xxvii.  6  is  the  same  word  em- 
jloyed  by   the  prophet,  >    16,  and  rendered  "  aiarw."     In 


Hence    the    pertinence  ;f  the  allusion  V)  Pa.  xxvii   6  b» 

Strauss.  —  C.  E.] 


22  ZEPHANIAH 


1 1  Terrible  is  Jehovah  against  them, 

For  He  destroys  all  the  gods  of  the  earth  ; 
And  all  the  islands  of  the  nations, 
Each  from  his  place,  shall  worship  Him. 

12  Also  ye  Cushites,® 

Slain  of  my  sword  are  they. 

13  And  He  will  stretch  forth  his  hand  over  the  north 
And  destroy  Assyria ; 

And  He  will  make  Nineveh  a  waste, 
A  dry  place  like  die  desert. 

14  And  Hocks  shall  lie  down  in  the  midst  of  her  , 
All  the  wild  beasts  ®  of  the  nations  ; 

Both  the  pelican  and  the  hedge-hog 

Shall  lodge  on  her  capitals  ; 

The  voice  of  the  singer  in  the  window  : 

Desolation  npon  the  threshold, 

For  the  cedar-work  He  has  made  bare. 

15  This  is  the  exnlting  city,  which  dwelt  securely, 
Which  said  in  her  heart,  I  am,  and  there  is  none  besides 
How  has  she  become  a  desolation, 

A  lair  for  beasiB  ! 

Every  one  that  passes  by  her  will  hiss, 

He  will  shake  his  hand. 

Chapter  TTT. 

1  Woe  to  the  rebellious  and  polluted,' 
The  oppressive  city ! 

2  She  listened  not  to  the  voice  : 
She  did  not  accept  discipline : 
She  did  not  trust  in  Jehovah : 
She  did  not  draw  near  to  her  God. 

i  Her  princes  in  the  midst  of  her 
Are  roaring  lions : 
Her  judges  are  evening  wolves  ; 
They  reserve  *  nothing  for  the  morning. 

4  Her  prophets  are  vain-glorious, 
Men  of  treacheries : 

Her  priests  profane  what  is  holy ; 
They  do  violence  to  the  law. 

5  The  righteous  Jehovah  is  in  the  midst  of  her ; 
He  will  not  do  wickedness ; 

Every  morning  He  will  bring  his  judgment  to  light  » 

It  does  not  fail ; 

But  the  unrighteous  man  does  not  know  shame. 

6  I  have  cut  off  nations  : 

Their  battlements  are  laid  waste  ; 
I  have  made  their  streets  desolate. 
So  that  no  one  passes  over  [themj  ; 
Their  cities  are  (lostroycd. 


CHAPTER   I. 


23 


So  that  there  is  no  man  [there], 
So  that  there  is  no  inhabitant. 

7  I  said  :  Only  do  thou  fear  me, 
Do  thou  receive  correction, 
And  her  dwelling  shall  not  be  cut  off, 

According  to  all  that  I  have  appointed  concerning  her ;  , 

But  they  rose  up  early  ; 
They  corrupted  all  their  doings. 

TEXTUAL  AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

[1  Ver  4.  —  D'^^n^  is  dual,  and  signifies  double  light,  i.  e.,  strongest,  brightest,  Gen,  xliii.  16,  25  j  Deut.  uriil  29, 
Jw.  vi.  4 

[2  Ver.  5.  —  /'2'n,  a  cord,  rope.  Josh.  ii.  15  ;  Ecc.  xii.  6  ;  a  measuring  line,  2  Sam.  viii.  2  ;  Am.  vii.  17  ;  a  portion 
measured  out,  as  of  land,  and  assigned  to  any  one  by  lot.  Josh.  xrii.  14  ;  xix.  9  ;  hence,  it  signifies  portion,  possession, 
Inheritance,  tract,  district,  region. 

[3  Ver.  5.  —  D'^n'13  ^12  5  LXX.:  n-opotKot  KprjTwf  ;  Vu\g.:  gens  perditorum.  They  inhabited  southern  Philistia,  1 
Sam.  XXX   14  ;  Ez.  xxv.'l6.     See  Smith's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  articles  "  Cherethims,"  "  Cherethites,"  and  "  Caphtor." 

[4  Ver.  9.  —  nnpO.  This  word  is  nowhere  else  used  in  the  Bible.  See  a  copy  of  ■'  the  Moabite  Stone,"  in  The  Jew 
ish  Times,  I'rida) ,  June  10,  1870,  in  which  the  plural  of  the  same  word,  ver.  25,  is  rendered  "  ditches."  See  also  Le 
normant  and  Chevallier,  vol.  ii.  p.  211,  note. 

[6  Ver.  12.  —  See  Smith's  Dictionart/  of  the  Bible,  article  "Gush  ;  "  Kitto's  Oyclopadia  of  Bib.  Lit.,  and  Leuormant  and 
Ohevallier"s  Ancient  History  of  the  East,  toI.  i.  p.  67  S. 

\6  Ver.  14.  —  '''12"1iT]n"73  :  LXX.,  ndvTa  to.  dripia.  Trjs  yijs  ;  Vulg.,  Omnes  bestice  gentium  ;  Kleinert,  alks  heid 
Hische  Gethier ;  Keil,  "  all  kinds  of  animals  in  crowds  or  in  a  mass." 

[7  Chap.  m.  Ver.  1.  —  H  vMJII,  Nlphal  of  7S3,  to  be  defiled,  polluted,  unclean  ;  used  in  this  sense  only  in  the  latei 
Hebrew.     See  Is.  lix.  3  ;  Ixiii.  3  ;*  Lam.  iv.  14 ;  Mai.  i.  7  ;  Ezra  ii.  62  ;  Neh.  yii.  64 ;  Dan.  i.  8. 

[8  Ver.  3.  —  "IDTII,  from  D^2,  ^  <^i  off  or  «'«"»2/ !  Kel,  to  gnaw,  crush,  craunch  bones  ;  LXX. :  ovx  VTreXetirovro  tit  rt 
wpmi;  Vulg. ;  non  r'elinquebanl  in  inane  ;  Luther  :  die  nichts  lassen  bis  au/  den  Morgen  iiberbleiben.  —  C.  E.] 


EXEGETICAL. 

TLi3  reason  for  the  announcement  of  the  judg- 
ment made  in  chap.  i.  (comp.  Introd.  3)  :  — 

1.  God  brings  the  judgment  upon  all  the  hea- 
then, ii.  4-15. 

2.  And  yet  Jerusalem  remains  incorrigible,  iii. 
1-7. 

Chap.  ii.  vers.  4-15.  The  Judgment  upon  the 
Heathen.  Representative  nations  from  the  four 
cardinal  points,  West,  East,  North,  and  South,  are 
mentioned,  so  that  by  the  completeness  of  the  qua- 
ternary number  of  the  four  quarters  of  heaven 
arises  the  idea  of  the  universal  judgment  upon  the 
heathen  nations  (comp.  ver.  11  and  the  judgment 
of  the  four  winds,  Jer.  xlix.  36  ;  Zech.  ii.  6  ;  vi.  5). 

The  description  is  divided  into  three  parallel 
strophes  of  four  verses  each  :  — 

ia)  Judgment  upon  Philistia,  vers.  4-7. 

\b)  Judgment  upon  Moab  and  Ammon,  vers. 
8-11. 

(c)  Judgment  upon  Ethiopia  and  Assyria,  vers. 
12-15. 

Vers.  4-7.  The  judgment  upon  Philistia,  the 
land  of  the  West.  For  —  thus  the  prophet  im- 
mediately joins  argument  to  the  exhortation, 
which,  in  its  final  clause,  directs  [us]  to  the  cer- 
tainty of  the  judgment —  Gaza  shall  be  forsaken. 

n-t^  and  n^^T5  form  a  paronomasia,  like  Ekron 

and  "^pyn,  at  the  close  of  the  verse  (comp.  Micah 
i.  10  ff.).  And  Ashkelon  shall  become  a  deso- 
lation. Ashdod  (the  seat  of  the  worship  of  Dagon 
(1  Sam.  v))  they,  (undefined  enemies)  will  drive 
out  at  noon-day :  so  defenseless  will  it  be  against 
the  sadden  and  ])Owerful  attack,  that  there  is  not 
?ven  need,  'jf  a  surpri'se  by  night.     Compare  Jer. 


XV.  8,  where  also  a  word  of  similar  sound,  T!!  itJ7, 
occurs,  which  forms  also  an  unexpressed  parono- 
masia of  thought  to  Tl"^Ji?S '  and  Ekron  is 
ploughed  up.  Even  the  enumeration  of  cities  is 
governed  by  the  symbolical  number  four,  so  that 
of  the  five  cities  of  the  Philistines  (Jos.  xiii.  3), 
one,  Gath,  is  omitted,  according  to  the  example  of 
Am.  i.  7  f. 

Ver.  5.   The  prophet  directly  addresses   those 
who  are  threatened  :  Woe  to  you  who  inhabit 

the  sea-coast,  DTT  •DH,  a  name  of  the  country 
of  the  Philistines  (see  Deut.  iii.  4),  ye  Cretans. 
The  connection  of  the  Philistines  with  the  island 
of  Crete  was  known  from  very  ancient  times  (1 
Sam.  XXX.  14  ff'. ;  comp.  Tac,  Hist.,  v.  2),  although 
the  arguments  adduced  by  Bertheau  (Gesch.  aer 
Israeliten,  p.  188  ff.  [History  of  the  Israelites,  etc.]) 
to  identify  Caphtor,  the  native  country  of  the 
Philistines,  who  were  not  originally  settled  in 
Canaan,  but  immigrated  into  it  at  a  later  period, 
(Am.  ix.  7),  with  Crete,  are  not  sufiicient.  [Phil 
istine  means  emigrant :  in  the  LXX.  they  are  called 
' A\A6(t>v\oi.  For  an  account  of  their  origin  see 
Smith's  Diet,  oj  he  Bible,  s.  v.  "Philistines."  Com- 
pare Rawlinson's  Herodotus,  vol.  iv.  p.  64,  note 
4,  and  Lenormant  and  Chevallier,  vol.  i.  p.  124. 
—  C.  E.]  Caphtor  seems  rather  to  be  designated. 
Gen.  x.  13  f.,  as  an  Egyptian  district.  Compare 
Starck,  Gaza,  p.  66  ff. ;  99  ff.  ;  Duncker,  Gesch. 
des  A.  I.,  p.  339  A.  Hence  also  (he  name  Cretim 
is  to  be  derived  from  Crete.      To  derive  it  from 

n~l3,  to  destroy,  and  to  designate  the  Philistines 
by  it,  as  those  who  are  to  be  destroyed,  as  Keil, 
following  the  Targ  im  and  the  Vulgate,  does, 
is  unnaturrl.     The  play  upon   words,  which  tha 


24 


ZEPHANIAH. 


prophet  possibly  had  in  mind  (corap.  iii.  6  ;  also 
the  expression  jT13  imniediarely  following  this 
verse,  and  the  plays  upon  words,  ver.  4)  is  far  from 
etymolotry.  The  word  of  Jehovah  is  against 
thee,  Canaan,  properly"  low  country,"  originally 
the  name  of  the  whole  tract  of  land  on  the  Medi- 
terranean, inhabited  on  the  North  by  the  Phoeni- 
cians and  on  the  South  by  the  Philistines  (Num. 
xiii.  30  (29?))  ;  Thou  land  of  the  Philistines. 
And  I  will  destroy  thee,  that  there  shall  be  no 

inhabitant.  ^P  is,  as  is  frequently  the  case, 
equivalent  to  SxTre  /xi]  eluai. 

Ver.  6.  And  there  shall  be  [it  will  not  do  to 

construe,  with  the   interpreters,    the  verb  nn^H 

with   vSn,  for  this  is  masculine :  it  can  only  be 

construed  with  ni3  (comp.  Micah  i.  9;  Ges.  146, 

3),  so  that  D^n  72n  is  to  be  understood  as  ace. 
loci]  in  the  district  upon  the  searcoast  extensive 
places  for  pastures  and  sheep-folds.     Some  take 

HI'S  as   the   plural   of   rT^lS,  which    (from    the 

root  nnS,  to  dig)  would  signify,  according  to 
Kimchi,  the  ditch  made  round  a  fold  ;  according 
to  Colin,  a  cistern  ;  both  of  which  interpretations 
are  untenable.     Others  (Strauss,  Keil),  following 

Bochart,  take  it  for  the  infinitive  of  mD ;  and 

understand  by  HI  3  HID  pastures  of  shepherds' 
caves,  i.  e.,  where  shepherds  dig  caves  for  a  pro- 
tection against  the  sun.  Yet  the  expression,  aside 
from  the  superfluity  of  the  required  complement, 
IS  little  adapted  to  characterize  the  activity  of 
the  shepherds  only.    It  is  best  to  consider,  with 

Hitzig,  the  word  as  a  plural  from  "^3,  pasture. 
The  apparent  tautology  with  m3,  is  no  argu- 
ment against  it,  since  mS,  [plural  of  HIS  ;  see 
Gles.,  s.  V.  —  C.  E.],  dwelling,  pasture  [for  flocks 
and   herds  —  C.    E.]    is    a  more    comprehensive 

idea   than  "^Sj  a  pasture  for  lambs   [such  is   the 

strict  meaning  of  the  Heb.  word  "^3  '.  Kleinert 
renders  it  Viehweide —  C.  E.] ;  and  since  moreover 
D'^lJh  n"")?  and  "IS!5  nrryi  form  two  pairs  of 
words  closely  belonging  together,  both  of  which 
are  subordinate  to  m3.  The  abnormal  form 
[the  regular  form  is  "'T?^!  [the  plural  of  "^3, 
wherever  it  occurs,  is  Q'^7'5-  —  C  E.]  is  occa- 
sioned by  the  preceding  HI?,  and  likewise  per- 
haps by  playing  upon  the  word  D"*n'!??«  It  can- 
not be  by  accident  that  shepherds  and  their  flocks 
are  mentioned  here  instead  of  destroyers,  whilst 
in  threatening  prophecies  in  other  places,  destruc- 
tion is  announced  by  this  form  of  threatening, 
viz.,  that  the  city  or  territory  is  delivered  up  to 
beasts  of  the  wilderness,  monsters,  ponds  of  water, 
or  to  desert  vegetation.  The  resemblance  of  the 
turn  of  thought  to  Jer.  vi.  3  (comp.  Introd.  4)  is 
remarkable,  and  it  is  natural  to  suppose  tha*  as 
Jeremiah  has  there,  so  Zephaniah  has  here  nis 
eyes  fixed  upon  the  distress  caused  by  the  hordes 
of  Scythians,  whose  march  through  the  land  of 
the  Philistines,  appeared  also  to  Herodotus  to  be 
Bufiiciently  noteworthy  to  obtain  mention  in  his 
history  (i,  104).  They  set  out,  the  men  and  fre- 
luetulv  aUi)  the  women,  on  horseback:   tliev  took 


with  them  wagons  yoked  with  o.^-in,  which,  fur- 
nished with  a  felt  covering,  served,  at  the  sam« 
time,  for  tent  and  house ;  also  their  property,  which 
consisted  of  droves  of  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep, 
from  whose  wool  they  prepared  those  coverings. 
(Herod.,  iv.  2,61,7.5,  114,  122.)  At  a  later  period, 
when  there  shall  be  only  a  remnant  of  Judah  left, 
another  event  will  follow  the  first  punishment  of 
Philistia  :  — 

Ver.  7.  Then  the  sea-coast  shall  fall  to  the 
lot  of  the  remnant  of  Israel  |  Judah  is  the  read- 
ing in    the  Hebrew  text — C.  E.],  they  will  feed 

upon  them  (Dn^727  is  construed  with  m?  ver. 

6,  as  if  it  were  written  there  "'"!??)  and  in  the 
houses  —  which  have  become  empty  —  of  Ash- 
kelon  will  they  he  down  in  the  evening.  A  re- 
production [of  the  idea]  of  Ob.  19.  The  connec- 
tion of  thought  (vers.  6,  7)  would  accordingly 
present  itself  thus  :  first  Philistia  is  laid  waste  by 
a  pastoral  nation.  Then  Judah  is  judged,  com 
pare  7  c  ;  and  then  the  remnant  of  Judah  inherits 
Philistia  as  pasture-ground.  Hitzig  also  [inter- 
prets it]  in  a  similar  way.  However  the  reference 
to  the  Scythians  is  not  at  all  necessary.  Quite  as 
good  and  perhaps  a  still  simpler  understanding  of 
the   passage  results,   if  we,   as  indicated  in  the 

translation,  render  prominent  in  ri"13  the  idea  of 
an  open,  empty  place,  so  that  in  ver.  6  the  destroy- 
ers, the  shepherds  that  obtain  possession,  do  not 
form  the  prominent  idea  so  much  as  the  emptiness, 
which  resulted  from  a  catastrophe  left  undefined. 
The  district  on  the  sea-coast,  hitherto  covered  with 
cities  rich  in  commerce,  becomes  open  grounds  for 
pastures,  etc.  And  these  open  grounds,  after  Israel 
is  purified,  become  the  possession  of  the  remnant. 

Thus  ^27"^"^.  (ver.  7)  naturally  connects  with  D^V  ' 
(ver.  6). 

The  following  reason  :  for  Jehovah,  their  God, 
will  certainly  visit  them,  Israel,  and,  whilst  the 
wound  of  the  heathen  is  incurable  (Nah.  iii.  19), 
he  will  turn  their  captivity,  is  consistent  \vith 
both  constructions :  it  shows  how  the  restoration 

of  the  place  is  efiected.  ^pS  is  to  be  understood 
in  this  passage  of  the  gracious  visitation  of  those 
already  chastised  (Strauss  and  others),  on  account 

of  its  close  parallelism  with  H^Stt?  3^tt7  :  it  is, 
however,  contrary  to  the  prevailing  usage  of  the 
book.  Concerning  the  turning  of  the  captivity, 
the  restoration  of  the  captives,  comp.  Deut.  xxx. 
3 ;  on  Nah.  ii.  3,  and  below  iii.  20. 

[Keil :  "  Paqad,  to  visit  in  a  good  sense,  i.  e., 
to  take  them  under  his  care,  as  is  almost  always 
the  meaning  when  it  is  construed  with  an  accusa- 
tive of  the  person.     It  is  only  in  Ps.  lix.  6,  that  it 

is  used  with  an  ace.  pers.  instead  of  with  737,  in 

the  sense  of  to  chastise  or  punish.  rVQP  3^11? 
as  in  Hos.  vi.  11  and  Amos  ix.  14.  The  Keri, 
rV^W,  has  arisen  from  a  misinterpretation."  — 
C.  E.] 

Vers.  8-10.  The  Judgment  upon  the  East:  Mod 
and  Amman,  the  sons  of  Lot.  Comp.  Is.  xvi.  6 
XXV.  11  ;  Jer.  xlviii.  29  ff.  If  the  subject  herj 
were  historical,  and  not  rather  the  universal  and 
ideal  character  of  the  judgment  of  the  world,  then 
the  interjacent,  hereditary  enemy,  Edom,  would 
certainly  not  have  been  omitted.     I  have  hfiar<1 

the  abuse  (HQin  spnsn  activo,  as  in  Lam.  iii 
61 )  of  Moab,  who  from  of  old  armed  evil  tongue* 


CHAPTERS  II.    4-111.  T. 


25 


•gainst  me  and  my  people  (Num.  iv.  22  ff.),  and 
the  revilings  of  the  sons  of  Ammon,  whose  old 
hatred  oonrinued  even  to  tl  i  latest  times  (Neh.  iv. 
5,  7 )  ;  wherewith  they  have  reviled  my  peo- 
ple and  haughtily  violated,  literally,  aeted  in- 
jolentlv  against  their  boundary.  Comp.  Am.  i. 
1.3  ;    2'  Kings    xiii.    20 ;    Jer.   xl.      The    suffix  in 

Cb^23  is  to  be  referred  to  "'SV  (comp.  ver.  10, 
7er.  9). 

Ver.  9.  Therefore  as  I  live — 'ETrei  /car'  ovSevhs 
(1x6  ixei^ovos  6fj.6(Tai  Ht/xocre  KaO'  iavrov  (Heb.  vi. 
13 ;  for  the  construction  compare  Ew.,  329  a)  — 
aaith  Jehovah  of  hosts  (com]),  on  Nah.  ii.  14 
[13])  the  God  of  Israel:  Moab  shall  become  as 
Sodom  and  Ammon  as  Gomorrah, —  they  will 
incur  a  destruction  like  that  of  the  cities,  in  whose 
fate  their  ancestor,  Lot,  was  involved  —  an  in- 
heritance of  nettles  and  salt-pits  (see  note  on 
ver.  9  —  C.  E.),  like  the  Dead  Sea,  on  which  they 
dwell,  and  desert  forever.  The  remnant  of  my 
people  shall  plunder  them  and  the  residue  of 

my  nation  C^IS  instead  of  "^''"U,  comp.  Olsh.,  39  d  ; 
164  d)  shall  inherit  them.  If  the  details  of  a  spe- 
cial historical  prophecy  were  treated  of,  then  Hit- 
zig  would  be  right  in  objecting,  that  the  plunder- 
ing and  seizure  by  the  returned  remnant  of  Israel 
must  take  place  before  the  final  destinies  of  these 
countries,  that  the  desolated  land  is  not  suitable 

for  a  HvnS,  etc.  But  the  prophet  does  not  think 
of  individual  chronologically  arranged  dates,  but 
of  the  grouping  together  of  everything  that  in- 
volves the  execution  of  Jehovah's  judgment  upon 
the  heathen  nations  ;  and  this  certainly  has  for  its 
cliief  moment  the  destruction  of  the  sinners  and 
the  redemption  of  his  people. 

Ver.  10.  This  shall  be  to  them  for  their 
pride,  because  they  have  despised  and  boasted 
•gainst  the  people  of  Jehovah  of  hosts.  The 
judgment  is  talio.  The  universality  of  it  stands 
out  with  still  greater  precision,  according  to  its 
two-fold  fundamental  characteristic. 

Ver.  11.  Jehovah  will  be  terrible  against 
them  (comp.  Dent.  vii.  21),  for  He  will  destroy 
aU  the  gods  of  the  earth,  so  that,  after  they 
have  brought  their  peoples  to  ruin  and  judgment, 
they  must  themselves  now  ])ass  away  and  die  like 
men  (Ps.  Ixxxii.  7).  Compare  below,  the  Doctrinal 
and  Ethical  part. 

And  they  will  worship  Him,  after  that  the 
hostile  powers  over  them  have  passed  away,  every 
one  from  his  place,  all  the  islands  of  the  na- 
tions- It  is  the  common  teaching  of  prophecy, 
that  all  islands,  all  nations  the  most  remote,  shall 
turn  to  Jehovah.  But  it  generally  takes  the  form, 
that  they  [the  nations]  shall  flow  to  Jerusalem  (Is. 
ii. ;  Micah  iv.).  Now  it  is  certainly  undeniable  that 
in  the  idea  of  this  Jerusalem  [of  the  time]  of  the 
consummation,  the  spiritual  element  predominates 
(comp.  on  Micah  iv.  1  ff.).  But  that  in  this  pre- 
exile  prophet  the  local  covering  should  already  be 
sc  removed,  as  f-g.  in  Mai.  i.  11,  that  he  should 
cotisider  a  worship  of  Jehovah  in  all  places  the 
fulfillment  of  the  times,  is,  although  it  commends 
itself  at  the  first  view  of  this  passage,  nevertheless 
very  doubtful,  the  more  so  as  Zophaniah  himself 
(iii.  10)  adheres  to  the  older  form  of  representa- 
tion, namely,  the  offering  of  the  heathen  at  the 
Holy  City  [Jerusalem  —  C.  E.].  Hence  I  believe 
that  the  words  :  they  will  worship  each  from  his 
place,  are  used  in  a  pregnant  sense  :  they  will 
oour  to  Him  worshipping ;  compare  the  trembling 
hither)  Micah  \ii.  17;  Hos.  iii.  5. 


[Keil :  ''  Mimm'^komo,  coning  from  his  place 
the  meaning  is  not  that  the  nations  will  worship 
Jehovah  at  their  own  place,  in  their  own  lands, 
in  contradistinction  to  Mic.  iv.  1  ;  Zecli.  xiv.  16j 
and  other  passages,  where  the  nations  go  on  pil- 
grimages to  Mount  Zion  (Hitzig) ;  but  their  going 
to  Jerusalem  is  implied  in  the  min  (from),  though 
it  is  not  brought  prominently  out,  as  being  unes- 
sential to  the  thought."  —  C.  E.] 

Vers.  12-15.  The  Judgment  tipon  Ethiopia  and 
Assyria,  South  and  North.  It  is  in  keeping  with 
the  great  perspective,  which  is  opened  in  Ter.  11, 
that  distant  nations  should  be  introduced  for  illus- 
tration. The  retrospect  to  Nah-  iii.  8  ff.  is  appar- 
ent. Ye  Cushites  also,  Ethiopi.ans,  slain  of  my 
sword  are  ye;  literally  "  are  they."  The  trans- 
ition from  the  second  to  the  third  person  has  in  it- 
self nothing  unusual  (comp.  iii.  7  and  the  whole 
of  Nahum). 

Calvin  connects  with  it  the  ingenious  remark  • 
"  In  secunda  persona  initio  versus  propheta  compellit 
ad  tribunal  Dei,postea  in  tertia  adjungit :  erunt,"  etc., 
in   a  certain  manner  the  sentence  of  the  judge. 

Yet  the  predicative  position  of  the  ^^^n  is  so  re- 
markable, that  Ewald  and  Hitzig  (against  Riick- 
ert,  Strauss,  Keil)  are  certainly  right  in  consider- 
ing it  as  a  substitute  for  the  copula.  Comp.  Is 
xxxvii.  16. 

[Keil  says :  H^n  does  not  take  the  place  ol 
the  copula  between  the  subject  and  predicate  any 
more  than  ^^^^I  in  Is.  xxxvii.  16  and  Ezra  v.  11 
(to  which  Hitzig  appeals  in  support  of  this  usage  : 
see  Delitzsch,  on  the  other  hand,  in  his  Comm.  on 
Isaiah,  1.  c),  but  is  a  predicate."  —  C.  E.]. 

Ver.  13.  And  He  will  stretch  out  his  hand 
(comp.  i.  4)  over  the  North  and  destroy  As- 
shur,  and  make  Nineveh  a  barren  waste,  dry 
like  the  desert,  whilst  at  this  very  time  [that  the 
prophet  was  speaking  —  C.  E.]  the  streams  of 
water  and  the  abundant  irrigation  are  the  pride 
and  joy  of  the  powerful  city  (comp.  pp.  101,  104). 

[Keil :  "  The  prophet  dwells  longer  upon  the 
heathen  power  of  the  north,  the  Assyrian  kingdom 
with  its  capital  Nineveh,  because  Assyria  was  then 
the  imperial  power,  which  was  seeking  to  destroy 
the  kingdom  of  God  in  Judah.  This  explains  the 
fact  that  the  prophet  expresses  the  announcement 
of  the  destruction  of  this  power  in  the  form  of  a 
wish,  as  the  use  of  the  contracted  forms  yet  and 
ydsem  clearly  shows.     For  it  is  evident  that  Ewald 

is  wrong  in  supposing  that  ^'^.)  stands  for  t2*^, 
or  should  be  so  pointed,  inasmuch  as  the  historical 
tense,  "  there  He  stretched  out  his  hand,"  would 
be  perfectly  out  of  place.  T  nip3  (to  stretch  out 
a  hand),  as  in  ch.  i.  4  :  'Al  tdsphon,  over  (or 
against)  the  North.  The  reference  is  to  Assyria 
with  the  capital  Nineveh.  It  is  true  that  this 
kingdom  was  not  to  the  north,  but  to  the  north- 
east, of  Judah;  but  inasmuch  as  the  Assyrian  ar- 
mies invaded  Palestine  from  the  north,  it  is  re- 
garded by  the  prophets  as  situated  in  the  north. 
On  Nineveh  itself,  see  at  Jonah  i.  2  (vol.  1,  p. 
390)  ;  and  on  the  destruction  of  this  cit^  and  the 
fall  of  the  Assyrian  empire,  at  Nah.  iii.  19  (p 
42)."  — C.  E.] 

Ver.  14.  And  herds  shall  lie  down  In  the 
midst  of  it  [viz.,  of  the  city,  which  has  become  f 
desert  —  C.  E.],  but  certainly  not  herds  of  cattle, 
which    have    no    nourishment   in   the   desert,  but 

every  kind  of  heathen  beasts.  '1'"l'!n  is  not  ^!lC 


2t) 


ZEPHANIAH. 


with  the  suffix  of  the  third  person,  and  is  accord- 
ingly not  to  be  translated,  and  all  his  beasts,  the 

heathen  :  this  form  is  '^i^^O  (Job  xxxiii.  20) ;  but 
it  is  the  known  archaic  form  of  the  status  constr. 
from  Tl^'H  (Gen.  i.  24;  Ges.,  90,  3,  G).  "'i:!  is  ac- 
cordiniil  the  stat.  abs.  By  the  beasts  of  the 
heathen  it  is  most  natural  to  understand  either 
(according  to  2  Sam.  xxiii.  13 ;  Ps.  Ixviii.  31 
[comp.  the  Heb.  text — C.  E.j),  the  conquering 
world-powers,  which  take  possession  of  Nineveh  as 
the  remnant  of  Israel  take  possession  of  the  ruined 
kingdoms  of  the  Philistines  and  Ammonites  (vers. 
7,  9)  ;  or  the  roving  hordes  of  Scythians.  How- 
ever the  interpretation  of  Colin,  llosenm.,  De  W., 
Strauss,  and  Keil  is  not  to  be  characterized  posi- 
tively as  erroneous  :  [they  interpret  it]  every  (real) 

beast,  that  is  accustomed  to  range  in  herds  (^13) ' 
compare  the  goi  of  the  locusts,  Joel  i.  6. 

[Keil :  "  The  meaning  can  only  be, '  all  kinds  of 

animals  in  crowds  or  in  a  mass.'  "'IS  is  used  here 
for  the  mass  of  animals,  just  as  it  is  in  Joel  i.  6 

for  the  multitude  of  locusts,  and  as  DV  is  in 
Prov.  XXX.  35,  36,  for  the  ant-people  ;  and  the  gen- 
itive is  to  be  taken  as  in  apposition.  Every  other 
explanation  is  exposed  to  much  greater  olyections 

and  difficulties.  For  the  form  in")n,  see  at  Gen. 
i.  24."  — C.  E.]. 

Pelicajis  also  [see  Thomson's  The  Land  and  the 
Book,  vol.  i.  p.  403  —  C.  E.]  and  hedge-hogs  — 
the  inhabitants  of  deserted  countries  and  ruined 
places  —  will  lodge  on  their  capitals.  The  as- 
sociation of  ideas  leads  the  prophet  to  reminiscen- 
ces from  Is.  xxxiv.  11  ;  xiv.  23 ;  compare  the  hrst 
clause  [of  the  verse]  with  Is.  xiii.  21.  "  The  cap- 
itals of  the  pillars  do  not  lie  on  the  ground,  but 
now  stand  unattached,  after  the  palaces,  roofs,  and 
floors,  which  rested  upon  them,  are  thrown  down." 
Hitzig.  Hark,  how  it  sings,  —  the  nesting  bird, 
—  in  the  window. 

7ip,  as  in  i.  14,  Nah.  iii.  2,  literally  vox  {ejus  qui) 
zanit,  or  auditur  (is  qui)  canit.  Desolation  on  the 
threshold !  None  passes  over  it  any  more.  For 
the  cedar -panelling,  the  beautiful  ornament  of  the 
walls  (comp.  on  Hab.  ii.  17)  He,  Jehovah,  has  torn 

down  [Heb.  has  made  bare — C.  E.].     nt~1M    is 

related  to  '"*?.W,  as  HIJ'tT  is  to  3"|T,  it  conveys  a  col- 
lective idea  (Ew.,  sec.  179  c). 

[Keil :  "  The  sketching  of  the  picture  of  the  de- 
struction passes  from  the  general  appearance  of 
the  city  to  the  separate  ruins,  coming  down  from 
the  lofty  knobs  of  the  pillars  to  the  windows,  and 
from  these  to  the  thresholds  of  the  ruins  of  the 
houses." —  C.  E.] 

Ver.  15.  This  is  the  city,  the  exulting  one 
(Is.  xxiii.  7),  which  dwelt  so  securely,  sheltered 
behind  her  defenses  of  water;  the  expression  is 
taken  from  Judges  xviii.  7.  "  Vox  ut  exsultantis  su- 
oe^  iliam."  Remigius.  Which  said  in  her  heart : 
I  am  and  besides  me  none  ;  literally,  and  besides 
me  (none)  further.  "Before  'besides,'  the  nega- 
tion, if  the  supposition  is  intimated  by  the  propo- 
sition, or  in  it,  can  be  omitted,  and  tlie  words  for 
'  besides  '  can  hence  signify  also  '  only,'  comp. 
Micah  vi.  8."  Hitzig.  ['.  —  Micah  vi.  8,  how- 
jver,  is  a  different  case  ;  compare  on  the  passage. 
And  I  would  prefer,  though  against  the  consen- 
jus  interpretum,  to  explain  it :  I,  and  if  I  am  no 
more,  «  ill  I ;  I  and  always  I.     The  sense  is  the 


same  in  both  views.]  The  same  expression,  witli 
the  same  signification,  -s  applied  to  Babylon,  Is. 
xlvii.  8,  10. 

[Keil  :  The  Yod  in  'aphsi  is  not  paragogical, 
but  a  pronoun  in  the  first  person ;  at  the  same 
time,  'ephes  is  not  a  preposition,  ''  beside  me," 
since  in  that  case  the  negation  "  not  one  "  could 
not  be  omitted,  but  the  "  non-existence,"  so  that 

^PpS  ''3"'S,  "  I  am  absolutely  no  further  (see  at 
Is.  xlvii.  8)."  See  Ges.,  Thesaurus,  s.  v.  —  C. 
E.j  How  has  she  become  a  desolation!  (applied 
to  Babylon,  Jer.  1.  23)  a  lair  of  beasts!  Every 
one  that  passes  by  her,  hisses,  waves  his  hand. 
The  thought  is  from  Nah.  iii.  19.  The  waving 
of  the  hands,  like  the  clapping,  Nah.  iii.  19,  is  a 
sign  of  gratihed  feeling  (comp.  Ps.  xlii.  2  ;  Is.  Iv. 
12).  The  expression  is,  in  part,  similar  to  Jer. 
xix.  8.  [See  Rawlinson's  Ancient  Monarchies, 
vol.  i.  p.  245.  —  C.  E.j 

Chapter  III. 

Vers.  1-7      The  Obduracy  of  Jerusalem.    "Woe 

to  the   refractory   (H^^'^l^,  part,  from  the  root 

WnD,  the  hiphil  of  which  occurs  Job  xxxix.  18, 
and  in  the  Cod.  Sam.  Lev,  xiiL  51,  52;  xiv.  44; 

equivalent  to  ^MTD  »  compare  W^"*}    Eccles.   x. 

5,  contracted  from  '^^^''  equivalent  to   HS^i^), 

and  polluted,  the  oppressive  city !    HDV  is  the 

part  of  n3^,  press  it,  Jer.  1.  16  and  above.  The 
prophet  gives  four  reasons  for  this  sharp  address. 

Ver.  2.  She  hearkens  not  to  the  voice,  with 
which  the  faithful  God  speaks  to  her,  ver.  7,  in  all 

these  acts  (ii.  4  ff.).  The  2  denotes  a  hearing 
with  pleasure  and  effect :  she  hearkens  not,  al- 
though she  hears.  She  does  not  accept  disci- 
pline. "1D^^,  the  lesson  which  is  derived  from 
the  experience  of  one's  own  or  another's  suffering 
[Schadens,  damage,  harm —  C.  E.],  and  generally 
from  attention  to  the  ways  of  God  ;  compare  Prov. 
i.  2.  She  trusts  not  in  Jehovah,  but  in  her 
wealth  (i.  12) :  to  her  God  she  does  not  draw 
near,  but  to  the  Baals  (i.  6) :  the  acts  of  God 
i  and  the  voice  of  the  prophets  die  away  unheard ; 
no  change  is  effected. 

Ver.  3.  Her  princes,  in  the  midst  of  her, 
(comp.  on  i.  8)  are  roaring  lions  (for  the  idea 
comp.  Micah  iii.  3  ;  for  the  expression,  Prov. 
xxviii.  15  ;  Sir.  xiii.  19).  Her  judges  are  eve- 
ning wolves,  which  go  out  in  the  evening  for  prey 
and  are  very  ravenous  ("  non  quod  reliquo  tempore 
quiescerent,"  Calv.  on  Ps.  lix.  7),  which  leave  no- 
thing for  the  morning,  but  so  eager  are  they  that 
they  instantly  devour  the  victim  that  falls  into 
their  clutches.  "  Ubi  latrocinium  in  ipsoforo  exer- 
cetur,  quid  jam  de  tola  urbe  dicendum  erit  ?  "  Calv. 

Ver.  4.     Her  prophets  are  knaves,   D^TniB, 

people,  who  utter  n^^f}?)  i-  e-,  vain,  empty  talk, 
brag  (comp.  Jer.  xxiii.  32),  men  of  treachery, 
who  defraud  God  (Hos.  vi.  7)  and  men.  since  they 
pretend  that  their  own  word  is  the  trord  of  God 
(Ez.  xxii.  28  ;  comp.  Micah  ii.  11  ff.).  Her  priests 
desecrate  that  which  is  holy,  the  temple,  with 
their  sacrilege,  comp.  Jer.  xxiii.  11  (Hieron.),  thfl 

sacrifices  (comp.  tfl^P,  Jer.  ii.  3)  by  the  neglect 
of  the  prescribed  ritual,  Ez.  xxii.  26,  com]}.  MaL 
i.  U  (Colin)  :   in  short,  they  make  everything  sa 


CHAPTERS  11.  4-I1I.  7. 


27 


ired  common  (Hitzig),  instead  of  strictly  discrim- 
inating, according  to  Lev.  x.  10  tf",  between  the 
holy  and  profane.  Thus  they  do  violence  to  the 
law,  of  which  they  ought  to  be  the  guardians. 
There  is  a  corruption  of  all  classes,  of  the  organ- 
ism of  the  kingdom  in  its  substance,  almost  still 
wc'se  than  Micah  had  pictured  it,  chap.  iii.  And 
the  e^use  of  this  disorder  does  not  lie  with  God 
(vers,  5-7).     He  has  left  nothing  untried. 

Jehovah  is  righteous,  as  a  righteous  one 
(comp.  for  the  constr.  Hos.  xi.  9)  in  the  midst  of 
her.  He  does  no  wrong.  Comp.  Deut.  xxxii.  4.) 
Morning  by  morning  (comp.  Ex.  xvi.  21)  He 
Bets  his  justice  in  the  Ught  (comp.  Hos.  vi.  5). 
God's  justice  is  neither  his  teaching  ("  docendo 
populum  leges  et  jura  sua  per  prophetas,  qui  hortando 
et  monendo  per  singulos  dies  id  operant  dant,  ut  eum 
ad  meliorem  fragem  vocent"  (Rosenm.,  Keil),  nor  his 
righteous  administration  (Chald.,  Hieron.,  Cyr., 
Strauss,  Hitzig),  but  the  announcement  of  the 
judgment,  which  it  was  right  for  Him  and  obliga- 
tory upon  Him  to  bring  upon  these  mad  practices 
(comp.  Calvin,  above,  p.  17):  the  sentences  of  the 
predicted  judgment  (comp.  xv.  and  Micah  iii.  8), 
which,  on  the  one  hand,  are  declared  against  the 
heathen,  but  principally  against  Israel.  He  declares 
them,  literally,  without  Jailing  :  He  does  not  miss, 
returning  faithfully  every  morning.  The  wicked 
have  their  work  in  the  evening  and  leave  nothing 
for  the  morning  (ver.  3),  Jehovah  has  it  in  the 
morning  and  has  each  day  a  clear  announcement. 
But  in  vain ;  the  wicked  [person]  knows  no 
Bhame  (comp.  ii.  1 ) :  neither  the  example  of  the 
righteous  government  of  God,  nor  the  merited 
threatening  of  coming  judgments  causes  him  to 
blush.  Jehovah  himself  is  introduced  as  speak- 
ing (ver.  6)  ;  He  sets  forth  his  great  deeds,  which 
He  had  accomplished  for  and  before  the  eyes  of  Is- 
rael :  I  have  destroyed  nations,  those  mentioned 
chap.  ii.  aad  many  others ;  their  battlements  are 
laid  waste,  synecdochically  for  the  walls  and  for- 
tresses, which  they  crown.  I  have  desolated  their 
Btreets,  literally  made  dry,  since  the  multitude  of 
men  crowding  them  is  considered  as  a  flood  (comp. 
Hab.  iii.  15),  so  that  no  one  any  more  passes 

through  them.    "^7?^  with   the   part,   like    the 

bare  1^  in  other  places  or  the  pleonastic  1^^^,  ii. 
5,  in  the  sense  of  necessary  negative  result  (Ew., 
323  a).     The  same  turn  [of  thought]   occurs  Is. 

xxxiv.  10.  [In  the  passage  cited  ^S  is  used. —  C. 
E.]  Their  cities  are  laid  waste,  literally,  fallen 
by  ambuscade  (m^i,  Ex.  xxi.  13  ;  comp.  Josh. 
6),  without  people,  without  inhabitant.  And 
why  all  this  ?  For  a  warning  example,  that  his 
people  may  consider  his  severity  and  his  goodness. 

Ver.  7.  I  said,  —  thought  in  me  and  spoke  to 
them  by  these  deeds,  —  only  wouldst  thou  fear 
me,  the  imperf  instead  of  the  imperative,  in  order 
to  show  the  kindness  and  tenderness  of  the  warn- 
ing ;  only  wouldst  thou  receive  correction,  suf- 
fer thyself  to  be  taught.  Then  their  (change 
fix)m  the  second  to  the  third  person,  as  in  Micah 
iii.  2  if. :  a  mental  speaking  and  meditating  on 
the  part  of  God  in  a  certain  manner,  is  indicated) 
house,  i.  e.,  not  merely  the  temple  (Strauss),  but 
.heir  possession  and  dwelling-place,  the  place  Zion 
'comp.  Matth.  xxiii.  38j  woiild  not  have  been 
destroj-sd.  To  the  substantive  idea  of  destruc- 
tion in  this  clause  the  following  forms  an  apposi- 
tion .  destruction  should  not  fall  upon  them,  ac- 
cording to  aU  that  I  have  appointed  concerning 


I  them;  the  whole  sum  of  the  evils  ii eluded  in 
the  destruction,  the  daily  announced  tSQtTC  IT^'^ 
cannot  have  the  common  meaning,  to  charge,  to 
command  (so  still    Strauss,  for  in  this  sense  the 

subjoined  ^V  designates,  according  to  the  usage 
of  the  language,  not  the  object,  concerning  which 
a  command  is  given,  but  him  upon  whom  the 
charge  is  enjoined.  But  as  it  can  signify  the 
divine  care  for  any  one,  so  it  signifies  also  the 
laying  up  of  a  debt  against  any  one,  so  that  it 
hangs,  in  a  certain  manner,  over  his  head,  in  order 
to  fall  at  last  upon  him  or  his  descendants  and  to 

destroy  them  ;  like  "It23,  Nah.  i.  2.  So  also  Ex. 
XX.  5  ;  Hos.  i,  4.  Thus  God  would  have  his  deeds 
considered  by  Israel,  but  what  avail  is  it?     But 

now  —  "J^M  after  "'^"1??^  points  out  the  contrast 
of  the  empirical  reality  to  the  fruitless  or  mistaken 
thoughts  of  the  speaker ;  just  as  in  Ps.  xxxi.  23 
(22)  ;  Is.  xlix.  4, — they  only  speed  the  more 
all  their  infamous  deeds,  literally,  they  are  in 
haste  to  pervert  all  their  doings.  The  verb 
^n^na^n  (Ps.  xlv.  2),  takes  the  auxiliary  verb 
^D''3tt?n  (for  the  construction,  comp.  Ew.,  285  b), 
which  brings  into  the  sentence  the  emphasis  of  the 
contrast  required  by  ]?S  :  not  only  that  they  do 
not  refrain  from  acting  infamously,  they  even 
hasten  to  do  so. 

So  it  is  evident  that  the  judgment  denounced, 
chap,  i.,  is  just,  since  all  the  judgments  which  be- 
fell the  heathen  in  favor  of  Israel  (Nah.  ii.  1)  pro- 
duced no  effect  upon  the  people.  So  firmly  con- 
vinced is  the  prophet  of  the  incorrigibility  of  the 
people,  that  he,  without  farther  ado,  as  if  it  were 
a  question  of  the  present,  presupposes  and  declares 
it :    even  after  the  judgments  described,  chap.  ii. 

4  flf.,  which  in  his  day  were  yet  future  ('^."'.n^)  ii. 
4,  etc.),  Jerusalem  shall  wear  just  such  an  ap- 
pearance, and,  before  that  time,  a  worse  than  at 
present. 

[Keil :  "In  vers.  7  and  8  the  prophet  sums  up 
all  that  he  has  said  in  vers.  1-6,  to  close  his  admo- 
nition to  repentance  with  the  announcement  of 
judgment."  —  C.  E.] 

DOCTRINAL  AND  ETHICAL. 

The  contest  of  Jehovah  of  hosts  (ii.  9,  comp.  Com. 
on  Nahum,  p.  36)  against  the  heathen,  has  a  four- 
fold design.  First,  it  involves  —  which  is  the  final 
point  of  view  on  this  side  —  the  restoration  of  the 
kingdom  of  David  (comp.  Ps.  Ix. ),  whose  exten- 
sion, according  to  prophetic  vision,  is  measured  by 
the  promise  to  Abraham.  But  in  this  respect  only 
the  countries  which  took  possession  of  portions  of 
this  kingdom,  viz.,  Philistia,  Moab,  Ammon,  rep- 
resentative of  the  neighboring  nations,  come  into 
consideration.  Of  Cush  and  Nineveh  it  is  not  said 
that  the  remnant  of  Israel  will  take  their  lands 
into  possession.  The  second,  and  much  higher  point 
of  view,  is  that  of  a  contest  between  God  and  the 
[false]  gods,  which  represent  the  antagonism  to  the 
true  God  among  the  heathen  (comp.  ver.  11  a), 
The  fundamental  view  of  the  0.  T.  concerning 
idols  [Gotter,  false  gods],  is  that  they  are  nothing 

[Hic/i<se,  nothings],  l2''_'^  _S;  (Lev.  xix.  4),  and 
that  the  God  of  Israel,  as  He  alone  made  the 
world  (Ex.  XX.  11;  xxxi.  17),  is  the  only  true 
God,  not  merely  among  his  own  people  and  in  hi« 


Q« 


ZKrilANlAH. 


^wn  land,  but  also  in  the  land  of  the  heathen  (Ex. 
"x.  22  f.) ;  another  proof  of  which  is  furnished  in 
the  bestowal  of  Canaan  [upon  Israel]  notwith- 
standing: the  prevailing  idolatry.  Deuteroaonij' 
formally  repeats  this  doctrine  of  the  oneness  of  the 
God  of  Israel  (vi.  4;  xxxii.  39),  and  the  idols  are 
expressly  designated  as  not-gods  (Ueut.  xxxii.  21 ; 
comp.  viii.  19).  Besides  this  another  representa- 
tion is  presented  to  view  in  the  further  develop- 
ment of  the  Old  Testament  revelation,  which 
seems  to  ascribe  to  the  idols  an  actual  existence. 
In  the  Pentateuch  the  passages  directly  bearing 
upon  this  point  have  no  weiaht.  Either  they  seem 
to  be  spoken  from  a  heathen  standpoint,  conse- 
quently they  are  without  the  sphere  of  revelation 
{comp.  Ex.  xviii.  1 1  ;  Gen.  xiv.  20  ;  Num.  xxiv. 
16;  comp.  also  Is.  xxxvi.  18  ff. ;  xiv.  14);  or 
idolatry  appears  as  the  worship  of  the  objects 
of  nature,  temporarily  permitted  by  God,  which 
objects  of  nature  are  themselves  subect  to  the 
power  of  God  (Deut.  iv.  19).  There  is,  however, 
here,  no  doubt,  a  germinant  intimation  of  the  op- 
position existing  between  God  and  idols  in  the 
contest  of  Jehovah  with  the  Egyptian  magicians, 
who  by  virtue  of  their  gods  imitated  his  miracles. 
And  undeniably  the  idea  of  a  certain  reality  on  the 
part  of  the  gods  seems  to  be  expressed  in  the 
eighty-second  Psalm.  There  God  judges  among 
the  gods  (comp.  Ex.  xii.  12).  Because  they  exe- 
cuted their  otKce  unjustly  and  sutfered  their  wor- 
shippers to  sink  into  iniquity,  they  were  to  perish 
like  men  (ver.  7),  and  Jehovah  would  enter  upon 
his  inheritance,  which  they  had  governed  for  a 
time  (ver.  8).  Ps.  xcvii.  9  teaches  the  same  thing  ; 
and  the  passage,  ii.  11,  receives  hence  a  clear  illus- 
tration. A  twofold  explanation  of  this  phenom- 
enon is  possible.  Either  that  the  gods  have  a 
(subjective)  subsistence  by  virtue  of  their  wor- 
shippers, as  a  spiritual  power,  which  unites  and 
moves  these  wonshippers  in  their  appointed  wor- 
ship ;  which  power  consequently  stands  or  falls 
with  the  existence  of  the  people.  So  old  Tarnov 
seems  to  understand  the  matter,  when  he  explains 
the  destruction  of  the  gods  at  the  place  men- 
tioned :  "  Paidatim  ac  sensim  perdit  idola,  adimendo 
ipsis  cultores  omniaque  sacrificia  aholendo."  Com- 
pare below  also,  Bucer  in  the  Homiletical  sugges- 
tions. Or,  that  we  trace  back  idolatry  to  satanic 
influences.  "  This  satanic  influence,  after  it  has 
obtained  a  place  within  the  soil  of  humanity,  so 
insinuates  itself  into  all  the  forms  of  development 
of  the  divine  revelation  and  education  as  to  pro- 
duce a  perverted  counterpart  of  them,  in  which  the 
substance  of  truth  is  destroyed  and  falsehood  makes 
its  abode  ;  for  in  the  common  revelation  the  false 
god  confronts  the  pure  idea  of  God,  in  which 
[false  god]  not  only,  as  in  an  idol  the  substance  of 
divine  truth  is  destroyed,  but  also,  as  in  a  positive 
phantom,  the  spiritual  power  of  the  evil  one  pre- 
sents and  communicates  itself."  Beck.  "  Among 
the  heathen,  active,  objective,  devilish  powers  ac- 
quire divine  honor  by  a  darkening  of  the  human 
conscience."  Kling.  This  latter  view  of  the  mat- 
ter is  prominent  in  Paul,  1  Cor.  x.  20.  It  is  evi- 
dent, too,  that  the  Old  Testament  passages,  anil 
especially  the  one  in  question  [chap.  ii.  11  a  — 
C.  IC]  coincide  more  nearly  with  this  view  than 
with  the  first  [i.  e.,  with  Kling's  rather  than  with 
Beck's  —  C.  E.|  ;  only  that  the  solidaric  connec- 
tion of  the  [false  I  gods  with  the  kingdom  of  Satan 
and  of  the  demons  is  not  expressly  accomplished 
a  ccmformity  with  the  Old  Testament  stiindpoint. 
The  doctrine  is  this :  that,  while,  according  to 
iie  general  view  of  prophecy,  the  idols  are  to  be 


despised  as  dead  and  dumb  nonentities,  yet  th« 
[false]  gods,  in  a  certain  sense,  rule  over  the  na- 
tions, as  objective  powers,  and  that  by  their  over- 
throw, which  forms  the  inner  intellectual  side 
to  the  external  judgments  of  the  people,  the  na- 
tions, in  a  certain  sense,  are  restored  to  an  unprej- 
udiced condition,  since  it  is  again  possible  to  thenj 
to  decide  for  God. 

The  third  object  of  the  judgments  upon  the 
heathen  is  this.  They  must,  so  far  as  they  are 
heathen  nations,  and  as  such  I'csist  God,  be  over- 
thrown, in  order  that  having  been  delivered  from 
the  fetters  of  idolatry,  they  may  seek  Jehovah  and 
learn  to  worship  Him.     Ver.  1 1  b. 

Finally,  the  fourth  object  of  these  judgments 
upon  the  nations  is,  that  Israel  may  come  thereby 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  and  power  of  hit 
God,  and  learn  to  stand  in  fear  of  his  severity,  and 
bow  to  his  goodness.  This  is  eftected  by  God,  in 
that,  beside  the  judgments  without.  He  causes 
the  import  of  them — his  justice  and  sentence  — 
to  be  explained  to  the  people  by  the  prophets. 
His  design  is  this  :  That  thou  mightest  only  fear 
me,  in  order  that  thou  mayest  remain  safe  from 
the  manifestation  of  my  wrath. 

But  this  plan  of  salvation  is  defeated  by  the  peo- 
ple's hardness  of  heart,  which  blunts  the  instru- 
ments of  the  divine  proclamation  and  of  regulating 
the  [sei/ier.  His]  kingdom;  andthe  judgment  must 
come  also  upon  Israel :  there  will  only  be  a  rem- 
nant, that  will  enter  upon  the  deserted  fields  of 
Philistia,  Ammon,  and  Moab. 

The  final  and  total  aim  of  the  judgment  is, 
therefore,  certainly  Israel,  but  not  so  much  the 
present  Israel,  who,  rather,  is,  like  the  heathen, 
under  the  training  of  God,  and  is  within  this 
training  certainly  nearest  to  Him,  yet  not  to  sucb 
a  degree  that  the  heathen  should  come  into  con 
sideration  merely  as  objects  of  the  judgment,  for 
also  for  them  the  goal  of  worshipping  Jehovah 
is  presented  in  prospect ;  and  Israel,  if  he  does  not 
receive  correction,  likewise  incurs  their  judgments 
The  final  object  is  rather  the  future  Israel,  the 
remnant,  to  whom,  from  the  nature  of  the  case, 
the  heathen  worshippers  will  also  belong. 


HOMILETICAL   AND    PEACTICAL. 

Of  the  exhortations  which  God,  by  his  guidance  oj 
the  world's  destiny,  directs  to  those  who  are  called  to 
his  salvation. 

(I.)  He  exhorts  us  to  repentance  by  the  severe 
punishments  which  He  brings  upon  the  evil-doers 
(iii.  6)  ;  by  the  majestic  power  with  which  He  des- 
olates populous  cities  (ii.  4-6)  ;  He  humbles  th** 
proud  and  leaves  nothing  unpunished  (ii.  8-10)  , 
He  reminds  us  also  that  the  most  powerful  na 
tions  are  not  too  powerful  for  Him  (ii.  12),  that 
the  most  distant  are  not  too  distant,  the  most  pop- 
ulous not  too  numerous  (ii.  13  f )  for  Him  to  bring 
down  their  secure  arrogance  and  to  deliver  up  to 
scorn  and  contemi)t  those  who  tramjile  others  un 
der  foot  (ii.  1.5).  He  who  considers  this  rightly 
must  surely  perceive  that  God  intends  it  for  the 
destruction  of  every  being  antagonistic  to  him  upo 
earth  (iii.  11),  and  that  He  is  a  righteous  God  (iii 
.5). 

(2.)  He  exhorts  us  to  faith.  The  promises, 
which  He  has  given  to  his  own,  are  not  destroyed 
by  any  judgments,  but  only  confirmed  anew  (ii  7 
9)  :  and  there  is  not  one  of  the  great  works  whieb 
are  done  under  the  sun,  upon  which  an  illustrative 


CHAPTEKS    II.  4-III. 


2S 


ight  does  not  fall  from  his  Word  (iii.  5).  No  one 
las  an  excuse  that  God  has  not  drawn  near  to  him 
^iii.  7),  and  that  He  has  not  also  had  his  highest 
interests  in  view  (ii.  11). 

(3.)  But  how  little  do  men  profit  by  warnings  ! 
Refer,  e.  ^.,  to  Jerusalem  (iii.  1-3);  and  to  our- 
selves (iii.  7). 

On  chap.  ii.  4.  God's  ways  of  destruction  are 
also  ways  of  grace  (Acts  of  the  Apostles,  viii.  26). 
—  Ver  7.  Our  hope  of  the  future  rests  alone  upon 
grace ;  and  we  need  not  wonder,  though  our  gra- 
cious guidance  leads  through  chastisements,  on 
account  of  sin  adherina;  [to  us].  The  remnant  of 
Baal  must  be  driven  out,  in  order  that  the  remnant 
of  God  may  come  to  the  light.  —  Ver.  8.  Murmur 
not  at  poisonous  tongues.  God  hears  better  than 
thou  that  in  which  thou  art  unfairly  dealtwith  : 
pray  for  them  who  injure  thee,  for  the  injury 
weighs  upon  them  and  not  upon  thee  The  mem- 
oryof  God  is  one  of  the  most  fearful  things  of 
which  a  man  can  think.  God  notices  so  particu- 
larly the  dishonor  done  to  his  peojjle  for  the  reason 
that  only  those  belong  to  his  people,  who  take  no 
heed  of  dishonor,  and  are  not  allowed  to  avenge 
themselves.  But  take  heed  that  you  are  not  reviled 
on  account  of  your  own  sins.  Such  reviling  God 
does  not  punish,  but  it  is  itself  punishment.  —  Ver. 
11.  Prophecy  will  certainly  come  to  pass  and 
not  fail.    Even  the  smallest  and  most  distant  island 


themselves  and  do  not  require  that  one  should 
bring  in  mysteries,  which  no  man  sees.  Persist 
cut  unbelief  is  a  shamelessness  of  the  soul.  Hovr 
much  has  God  torn  from  his  heart,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  confirming  the  Word  of  his  prophets,  in 
order  that  we  might  learn  to  believe.  Not  merely 
innumerable  men,  whom  He  created,  and  who 
were  judged  according  to  this  prophecy,  but  his 
own  son.  — Ver.  7.  It  is  a  singular  thing,  that  even 
the  most  ftiithful  counsels  and  friendly  instructions 
and  allurements  strengthen  in  his  perversity,  hira 
who  is  already  in  the  wrong  way.  He  has  shame, 
but  false ;  and  there  is  no  stronger  enemy  of  the 
true  shame  than  the  false. 

Luther  :  On  chap.  ii.  ver.  6.  The  most  mag- 
nificent and  powerful  cities,  which  were  subdued 
under  no  king  but  David,  are  so  laid  waste  and 
razed,  as  Hieronymus  frequently  states  that  one 
sees  remaining  only  some  ruined  portions.  —  Ver. 
9.  These  surrounding  nations  have  all  been  scat- 
tered and  exterminated  by  the  Persians,  Romans, 
etc.,  so  that  they  have  not  been  able  to  retain  even 
their  name,  which  they  bore  of  old  ;  they  have  all 
been  united  into  one  nation  with  the  name  of  Ara- 
bians.—  Chap.  iii.  ver.  1  ff.  Although  the  pure  un- 
adulterated word  is  accomplished,  yet  some  will 
always  be  found,  who  will  adulterate  the  word  and 
the  true  service  of  God,  until  Christ,  at  his  last 
advent,  will  make  an  end  of  this  evil.  —  Ver.  7.  In 


known  to  God  and  is  included  in  his  plan  of    these  few  words  the  prophet  has  briefly  expressed 


salvation.  But  how  shall  they  believe  if  it  is  not 
preached  to  them'?  Where  the  fear  of  God  has 
been  abandoned,  in  a  country  or  among  men,  a 
salutary  fear  of  Him  must  intervene,  in  order  that 
his  worship  may  be  restored.  On  13  ff.  compare 
the  Homiletical  Suggestions  on  Nahum. 

Chap.  iii.  ver.  1 .  God  addresses  his  own  city  the 
most  severely  (Am.  iii.  2).  The  way  of  destruction 
begins  with  obstinacy  against  God  :  then  comes 
pollution  by  vice,  finally  the  destruction  of  con- 
science, which, becomes  manifest  in  open  acts  of 
violence  and  crime.  —  Ver.  2.  He  who  listens  to 
God's  voice,  has  this  advantage  from  it,  that  he 
learns  prudence.  He  who  trusts  in  Him  has  the 
advantage,  that  he  can  draw  near  to  Him  at  all 
times  with  assured  confidence.  We  know  obedi- 
ence by  prudence,  faith  by  confidence.  Disobedi- 
ence is  folly,  and  despondency  unbelief.  —  Ver.  3. 
Strength  and  bravery  do  not  govern  a  country  ; 
even  the  lion  is  a  strong  and  brave  animal.  They 
must  be  restrained  by  the  fear  of  God  and  guided 
to  the  right  objects.  A  speedy  sentence  often 
does  more  harm  and  wrong  than  the  detriment 
arising  from  ten  tardy  ones.  —  Ver.  4.  If  the 
salt  becomes  insipid,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted  ? 
He  who  speaks  in  God's  name  should  always 
Bpeak  with  fear  and  trembling,  and  as  if  he  were 
going  to  stand  to-morrow  before  the  judgment 
seat.  —  Ver.  .5.  No  one  is  so  liable  to  profane  what 
is  holy  as  a  priest ;  and  no  one  is  so  responsible. 
Thou  shouldst  offer  no  violence  to  the  Word  of 
God.  What  it  does  not  say  thou  shouldst  not 
make  it  say.  Though  priests  and  prophets  may 
be  wicked,  it  is  nevertheless  wron 
Dne's  self  from  the  Church  of  God. 
Hosts,  who  does  no  wrong,  is  still  in  the  midst  of 
ner.  Therefore  do  the  sects  go  so  speedily  to  ruin. 
We  cannot  think  of  anything  more  touching  than 

h>3  long-sufifering  love,' with  which  God  follows  a 
people  and  a  soul,  and  keeps  always  anew,  daily 
and  a  hundred  times,  one  and  the  same  thing  be- 
'ore  its  eyes,  namely,  whether  it  will  allow  itself  to 
DC  saved.  Dark  and  confused  things  are  not  ut- 
terances of  God.     They  all   have   their  light   in 


what  belongs  to  an  honest  Christian  life,  for  the 
fear  of  God  brings  with  it  faith,  humility  of  heart, 
so  that  we  hold  the  majesty  of  the  Lord  in  all 
honor.  Discipline  [Ger.  Zucht ;  Heb.  Musar]  in- 
cludes in  it  outwardly  good  morals,  so  that  we 
may  walk  together,  one  with  another,  with  pro- 
prietv  and  honor,  without  the  displeasure  of  the 
brethren. 

Stakke  :  On  ver.  5.  Even  in  Christendom  there 
are  many  who  practice  Canaan's  doctrine  and  life  : 
may  God  free  the  Church  from  them.  —  Ver.  6. 
Compare  Luke  xiii.  5.  —  Ver.  7.  The  wealth  of 
the  godless  is  preserved  for  the  pious.  —  Ver.  9. 
God  confirms  his  promises  with  zeal  for  the  con- 
solation of  the  godly,  his  threatenings  for  the  ter- 
ror of  the  wicked.  —  Ver.  11 .  In  the  New  Tes- 
tament the  service  and  the  worship  of  God  are 
confined  to  no  fixed  place.  —  Ver.  13.  When  God 
has  warned  a  city  many  years  by  a  Jonah,  Nahum, 
Zephaniah,  at  last  the  jpunishment  cornes  suddenly. 

Ver.  14.  Cities,  castles,  houses,  which  are  built 

with  much  pride  by  the  toiling  sweat  and  blood  of 
poor  people,  usually  come  to  a  mournful  end.  — 
Ver.  15.  Whoever  says,  I  am  he,  and  there  is  none 
besides,  robs  God  of  an  honor  which  belongs  to 
Him  alone.  —  Chap.  iii.  ver.  2.  It  is  a  certain  indi- 
cation of  approaching  destruction,  when  the  peo- 
ple become  more  obstinate  by  punishment.  —  Ver. 
3.  Contempt  of  God's  Word  causes  corruption 
among  all  classes. — Ver.  5.  The  more  one  de- 
spises God's  Word,  the  more  will  God  continue  in 
the  teaching  of  it.  —Ver.  7.  Genuine  repentance 
obtains  not  only  certain  forgiveness  of  sins,  but 
to  separate  also  often  averts  temporal  punishments.^  Unbe- 
The  Lord  of  lievers  are  more  assiduous  in  evil  than  believers  in 


RiEGER  :  On  chap.  ii.  ver.  4  fF.  Israel  has  ofte 
been  stimulated  to  zeal  by  the  surrounding  na 
tions.  For  example,  they  would  also  have  a  king 
like  the  heathen  around  them ;  they  fretted  them- 
selves, on  the  ground  that  the  other  nations  should 
so  advance  and  become  great  in  their  idolatry,  and 
that  they  themselves,  possessing  the  true  worshij 
of  God,   should   so  decline.     Therefore  the  judsf 


30 


ZEPHANIAH. 


ments  executed  upon  other  nations  are  so  fre- 
quently held  up  before  them  :  partly  because  all 
these  are  under  the  government  of  God,  who  has 
fixed  and  beforetime  determined  their  boundary 
how  far  and  how  long  eacii  nation  should  have  its 
habitation  ;  partly  to  show  what  kind  of  a  dis- 
tinction God  makes,  in  all  His  judgments,  between 
his  people  and  between  the  heathen,  and  how  in 
these  He  always  remembers  the  covenant  with 
their  fathers  and  guiiles  them  to  the  fultillmeTit  of 
his  promise;  that  those  shall  be  blessed  that  bless 
the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  that  those  shall  be 
cursed  who  curse  them.  For  this  reason  also  their 
excessive  arrogance  toward  Israel  and  their  plea- 
sure in  his  misfortunes  are  charged  so  high  to  the 
account  of  these  nations.  O  seek  humility  !  What 
may  one  bring  upon  himself  by  his  vainglorious 
mouth ! 

Gregort  the  Great  :  On  ver.  10.  Other 
vices  drive  away  merely  the  virtues,  with  which 
they  stand  in  natural  contradiction  ;  wrath  drives 
away  patience ;  drunkenness,  soberness  ;  but  pride 
is  in  nowise  satisfied  with  the  extirpation  of  a  sin- 
gle virtue,  but  arms  itself  against  everything  good 
in  the  soul,  and  utterly  corrupts  it  like  a  pest,  so 
that  under  its  influence  every  work,  althoujzh  it 
may  be  adorned  with  the  appearance  of  virtue, 
nevertheless  no  longer  serves  God,  but  vain  self- 
glory. 

EusEBius  :  Ver.  11.  In  Zephaniah  the  appear- 
inc«  of  Christ  is  evidently  connected  with  the  ex- 


tirpation of  idolatry  and  with  the  worshiji  of  God 
on  the  part  of  the  heathen. 

Bccer:  Whilst  God  destroys  all  the  nations 
around,  and  thereby  shows  that  what  they  wor- 
shipped as  divinities,  are  nothing  but  false  gods, 
since  in  the  time  of  need  of  their  worshippei's,  they 
afturd  them  neither  support,  nor  shelter.  He  makes 
the  gods  themselves  disappear. 

Bucer:  Ver.  12.  Observe,  He  calls  it  His 
sword.  No  evil  comes  upon  any  one  in  which  the 
hand  of  God  is  not. 

Pfaff  :  Ver.  15.  To  the  Lord  there  is  nothing 
more  detestable  than  the  pride  of  self-arrogating 
men.  How  well  He  knows  to  punish  it  with  ter- 
rible power ;  how  his  wrath  hastens  to  humble 
the  proud. 

BucEu:  Chap.  iii.  ver.  2.  As  it  is  the  beginning 
and  foundation  of  all  salvation  to  hear  the  Word 
of  God  with  faith,  so  contempt  of  the  Word  of  God 
is  the  source  of  all  corruption.  If  a  man  despises 
the  Word  of  God,  then  the  next  thing  is  that  he 
refuses  all  amendment,  because  he  is  well  pleased 
with  himself  and  imagines  everything  which  is  in 
him  good.  And  this  is  the  climax  of  perversion 
of  the  life  from  God. 

BocER :  Ver.  4.  There  is  no  divine  gift  on 
which  Satan  does  not  cast  his  filth.  So  he  has 
also  polluted  prophecy. 

Beck  :  The  wicked  one  makes  an  idol  of  the 
earthly  spirit  of  the  age  in  the  polymorphesn  prac- 
tice of  error  extenling  itself  over  the  entiie  ciiclt 
of  the  earth. 


THE  SALVATION. 


Chapter  HI.   8-20. 


Ver.  8  Therefore  wait  for  me  is  the  saying  of  Jehovah, 
For  the  day  when  I  rise  up  to  the  prey ;  ^ 
For  it  is  my  right  to  gather  nations  together, 
To  assemble  kingdoms ; 
To  pour  upon  them  my  fury, 
All  the  heat  of  my  anger ; 
For  by  the  tire  of  my  zeal 
The  whole  earth  shall  be  consumed. 

9  For  then  I  will  turn  to  the  nations  a  pure  lip, 
That  they  may  all  call  upon  the  name  of  Jehovah ; 
That  they  may  serve  Him  with  one  shoulder.* 

10  From  beyond  the  rivers  of  Cush 

My  worshippers,^  the  daughter  of  my  dispersed  ones 
WUl  present  my  offering. 

11  In  that  day  thou  wilt  not  be  ashamed 
On  account  of  all  thy  doings, 

By  which  thou  hast  transgressed  against  me, 

For  then  will  I  remove  from  the  midst  of  thee 

Thy  proud  exulting  ones,  [or,  those  that  exult  in  thy  pridej, 

And  thou  shalt  no  more  carry  thyself  proudly  in  my  holy  moonUdlL 


12  And   I  will  leave  in  the  midst  of  thee 


CHAPTER    III.    8-20. 


A  people  poor  and  bowed  down, 

And  they  shall  trust  in  the  name  of  Jehovah. 

13  The  remnant  of  Israel  will  not  commit  wickedness; 
They  will  not  speak  lies ; 

And  in  their  mouth  will  not  be  found  a  tongue  of  deceit; 
But  they  will  feed  and  lie  down 
And  none  will  make  them  afraid. 

14  Exult,  tliou  Daugliter  Zion  ; 
Shout  ^  O  Israel '; 

Rejoice,  and  exult  with  all  the  heart, 
O  Daughter,  Jerusalem. 

15  Jehovah  has  removed  thy  jmlgments  ; 
He  has  cleared  °  away  thine  enemy  ; 

The  King  of  Israel,  Jehovah,  is  in  the  midst  of  thee; 
Thou  wilt  see  evil  no  more. 

16  In  that  day  it  shall  be  said  to  Jerusalem: 
Fear  not  Zion,  let  not  thy  hands  be  feeble. 

17  Jehovah,  thy  God,  is  in  the  midst  of  thee, 
A  Mighty  One,  who  saves ; 

He  rejoices  over  thee  with  gladness ; 

He  is  silent  in  his  love ; 

He  exults  over  thee  with  rejoicing. 

18  I  gather  together  those  that  mourn  for  the  festivals;' 

They  are  of  thee  ; 
Reproach  presses  upon  them. 

19  Behold,  at  that  time,  I  will  deal  with  all  thy  oppressors. 
And  I  will  save  the  limping. 

And  gather  the  outcasts. 

And  make  them  a  praise  and  a  name 

In  every  land  of  their  shame. 

20  At  that  time  1  will  bring  you, 
Yea,  at  the  time  I  will  gather  you; 

For  I  will  make  you  a  name  and  a  praise 

Among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

When  I  turn  your  captivity  befoi-e  your  eyes,  saith  Jehovah. 

TKXTUAL   AND  GRAMMATICAL. 

*et  8. —  The  LXX..  the  other  Uieek  Version.'*,  and  the  Syriac,  render  "T^   hy  tcsliinomj  or  witness;  but  when  it 

tm  this  meaning  it  is  poiuted  "I  '\      Comp.  Gen.  xlix    27  ;   Is.  xxxiii.  23.      It  is  derived  from  H^y,  to  rush  upon,  to 

tttaeJc.     See  Gea.  i.  v. 

fi  Ver.  9.  —  "tPS    Z;"!)""    oiic  Moulder,  i.  e.,  \nth    unanimity       The  figure  is  taken  from   those  who  carry  burdens 
'^  '  TV         V  ;   ' 

with  even  shoulders. 

[8  Ver.  10. —  ''"'ni',  from  "T^">',  to  burn  niceuse,  to  pray  as  a  suppliant.  Some  interpreters  make  it  the  subject  ol 
iie  verb  "  bring  ;  "  otliers,  the  object.     See  P^xeget. 

'4  Ver.  14-  —  ^l^''~li~i  13  plural,  because  Israel  is  addressed  as  a  plurality 

[6  ,'.;r.  15.  —  "3-?,  piet,  signifies  to  d-ar  from  impediments,  to  put  in  order,  to  prepare,  e.  g.,  a  house,  Gen  x«y-  31 ; 
£iev.  xiv.  36  ;  a  way,  Is   xl.  3  ;   Ivii.  14  ;   Ixii.  10  :  Mai.  iii.  1. 

[6  Ver.  18 "T37iO,  the  time  of  the  feast,  when  all   l.^rael  gathered  together  to  rejoice  befor*  Jenovnh.     It  also  «1« 

llllM  an  assemUi/.  and  /laia  nf  nnt.i-/iib!i/.  —  C.  E.I 


32 


ZErHAXIAH. 


EXEGETICAL. 

The  Way  to  the  Accomplishmcnl  of  the  Salvation 
opened  by  thp  Judy  merit. 

Vers.  8-10.  7'/ip  Salvation  of  the  Heathen  fulloiving 
'.he  Judgment.  Directly  at  the  close  of  the  first 
threatening  proclamation  begins  the  address  (iii. 
8),  directed  to  the  meek  of  the  earth  (ii.  3),  the 
second  checrfnl  address  stretching  over  the  inter- 
mediate statement  of  the  causes. 

What  we  should  expect  according  to  the  course 
of  thouiiht  at  the  close  of  iii.  7,  —  therefore  I  will 
rise  to  the  judgment  upon  Jerusalem, —  was  already 
Baid,  chap.  i. ;  now  comes  the  consolation  by  which 
that  threatening  of  judgment  is  tolerable. 

Ver.  8.  (According  to  the  remark  of  the  Masorah 
the  only  verse  of  the  0.  T.,  in  which  all  the  lettei's 
of  the  alphabet,  inclusive  of  the  live  finals,  occur.) 

Therefore —  ]..^"^is  employed,  as  it  often  is,  in 
prophetical  language,  to  indicate  not  exactly  the  im- 
mediate consequence  of  what  precedes,  but  the  link 
of  the  connection,  i.  e.,  of  the  transition  from  threat- 
ening to  promise  (comp.  Is.  x.  24  ;  xxvii.  9  ;  and 
other  passages  in  Ges.,  Thes.,  s.  v.)  :  but  therefore 
still  wait  upon  me,  ye  humble,  tliou  remnant  of 
the  promise  (ii.  3,  7,  9  ;  comp.  Is.  viii.  17  ;  Hab.  ii. 
3),  saith  Jehovah  until  the  day  that  I  rise  up 
to  the  prey  (so  Drusius,  Colin,  Strauss,  Keil,  fol- 
lowing the  Masoretic  text,  translate  it.  On  the 
contrary,  LXX.,  Syr.,  Hitz.,  following  the  read- 
ing "T^  V>  render  it  "  for  a  witness."  Tlie  sequel  fa- 
vors the  former  translation)  for  it  is  my  right, 
my  fixed  sentence  uttered  against  the  earth,  not 
to  be  retracted,  to  gather  the  nations  together. 
There  is  no  intimation  here  that  the  language 
refers  to  a  gathering  together  of  the  heathen,  in 
the  sense  that  those  among  the  heathen  desirous 
of  salvation  fall  to  Jehovah  as  a  prey  ( Strauss, 
Keil) ;  the  intervention  of  a  judgment,  which  is  a 
necessary  condition  of  the  salvation,  previously 
fixes  the  connection.  The  last  act  of  the  judg- 
ment, as  it  is  a  fixed  element  of  the  prophetic  es- 
chatology,  the  final  gathering  of  the  heathen  na- 
tions before  Jerusalem,  in  order  to  be  destroyed  in 
the  decisive  struggle  (comp.  above,  Jntrod.  p.  9),  is 
here  renvesented  under  the  ]ioint  of  view,  that  God, 
after  He  has  subdued  the  separate  powers  that  re- 
sisted Him,  each  in  its  own  land  (chap.  ii.  4  ff.),  now 
causes  the  collective  mass  of  nations  to  flock  to- 
gether, in  order  to  shatter  in  one  last  decisive  strug- 
gle everything  opposed  to  God,  in  one  day  (comp. 
Micah  iv.  12).  That  is  an  object  of  hope  for  tlic 
meek  of  the  land,  and  therefore  the  prophet  pro- 
ceeds :  wait  for  me  until  I  (the  V  and  the  suffix 
in  "^!Jlp7  require,  wliat  interpreters  have  over- 
looked, that  this  infinitive,  like  U'^'^l>  "^JS^p,  must 
be  construed  with  ^SH),  bring  the  kingdoms  in 
crowds,  and  pour  out  upon  them  my  fury,  all 
my  burning  wrath.  Tlieodurus  JMopsu.  makes 
the  lan^ua,^e  to  be  addressed  to  the  exiles  :  "  Ka\ 
iiareXftTe  Se  irphs  i/xe  a.(l)opwvTes  Kal  r^v  nap  i/iov 
BuTideiav  ava/xivovTes,  %v  Kara  Katphi'  u/jiiu  irapf^oi, 
is  e/c  viKpHiv  Vfxa9  aviffrcov  Kal  cnraWaTTWU  jxn' 
r^s  aixi^aAwcrias  iiravdycov  Se  vauras  u/xas  eVi  ra 
♦i/csTa."  This  view  has,  at  the  first  glance,  some- 
thing in  its  favor:  the  consolatory  niumeiu  in- 
ended  lor  Israel  in  the  prophecy  of  the  judgment, 
'er.  8,  comes  out  very  plainly  in  it.  Notwith- 
ttandmg  ii  is  haHly  correct,  though  Strauss  as- 
lents  to  it ;  sinew   A-phaniah  does  not  predict  the 


exile,  t)ut  everywhere  addresses  the  people  in  Je- 
rusalem, and  the  thought  introduced  by  Theodorna 
into  this  verse  from  tlie  restoration  of  the  ca])tiveg 
first  occurs  ver.  18  H'.,  but  even  there  in  such  a 
way,  that  the  Hower  of  the  congregation  are  sup- 
posed to  be  remaining  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  cap- 
tives are  supposed  to  come  as  scattered  apart  from 

these  (also  in  a  similar  way  the  m  2.^  H  13ki7 
seems  to  be  employed  in  the  oldest  prophets), 
comp.  the  U'^^l'^Vy,  ver.  20.  For  by  the  &ip  ol 
i  my  zeal  the  whole  earth  shall  be  devoured : 
everything,  which  is  nut  from  God ;  the  day  of 
judgment,  which  comes  after  the  separate  acts  of 
judgment,  which  turned  to  the  advantage  of  Is 
rael,  is  entirely  general ;  as  He  judges  the  incor 
rigible  Israel,  chap,  i.,  so  He  also  judges  the  degen 
erate  nations  :  only  the  Anavim  [meek],  who  are 
enjoined  to  wait  for  Him,  are  excepted.  But  it 
lies  in  the  nature  of  the  case  that  that  for  wnich 
they  are  to  wait,  is  properly  not  the  day  of  judg- 
ment itself  (Am.  v.  18),  but  the  result,  of  which  it 
is  the  conditio  sine  qua  non. 

Ver.  9.  For  then,  after  the  destruction  of  the 
power  antagonistic  to  God  upon  earth,  first  of  all 
of  the  power  antagonistic  to  Him  in  the  heathen 
world,  whose  judgment,  according  to  what  follows, 
is  not  considered  as  a  destruction  of  the  substance 
of  life,  but  as  a  destruction  of  the  Swd/xeis  under 
heaven  alienating  the  life  from  God  (comp.  ii.  11), 
will  I  turn  to  the  nations,  which  have  hitherto 
with  unclean  lip  called  upon  theii  idols  (Hos.  ii. 
19  ;  Ps.  xvi.  4),  a  pure  Lip  ;  I  will  give  it  to  them, 
I  will  create  it  in  them.  This  act  of  grace,  which, 
in  Is.  vi.,  is  represented  under  the  view  of  the  ex- 
]jiating  act  of  God,  is  here  exhibited  under  that  of 
the  new  creative  act. 

The  two  views  [Momente]  complete  one  another 
I  Many  interpreters  understand  the  "pure  lips" 
of  the  lip  of  God  Himself,  which  He  will  employ 
in  friendly  language  to  the  nations  (Luth.,  Cocc, 
Marck,  llofmann).  But  that  God's  lip  is  pure  is 
self-evident ;  it  will  not  be  pure  then  for  the  first 
time,  but  it  is  always  pure.  Our  translation 
(comp.  Theodoret  :  "  Kadaphv  Se  x^''^"^  """^  f'^ 
6eovs  aA.A.a  6ehv  OvSfiaCov  ")  is  required  by  the  con- 
nection, and  is  also  given  by  the  oldest  versions 
(Chald.,  Syr.,  Aq.,  Symm.,  Vulg.).  For  the 
expression  \i.  e.,  turn,  etc.],  comp.  1  Sam.  x.  9; 
Mai.  iii.  23,  in  A.  V.  Mai.  iv.  6.—  C.  E.] 

The  purity  of  the  lips  proves  itself  by  the  fact 
that  they  all  caU  upon  the  name  of  Jehovah  — 
the  unity  of  the  children  of  G(jd  existing  before  the 
flood,  at  the  beginning  of  the  history  of  revelation, 
is  restored,  Gen.  iv.  26  —  That  they  serve  Him 
with  one  shoulder;  compare  the  expression  "with 
one  mouth,"  1  Kinys  xxii.  13.  "  The  unity  is  re- 
stored by  means  of  all  of  them  bearing  the  same 
yoke,  i.  e.,  the  yoke  of  Jehovah,  Jer.  ii.  20." 
Hitzig.  Compare  iUso  Is.  ix.  3.  Those  who  es- 
cape from  the  great  slaughter  of  the  judgment 
(ver.  8),  are  dispersed  into  their  own  lands,  and 
there  Jehovah's  new  work  of  grace  reaches  them : 
compare  the  fuller  expansion  of  the  same  thought. 
Is.  Ixvi.  19  f. 

Ver.  10.  Even  from  beyond  the  rivers  of 
Cush  —  from  the  southern  extremity  of  the  known 
world,  which  also  appeared  to  be  (ii.  12)  the 
southern  terminus  of  the  judgments,  will  my 
worshippers  (the  signification  of  fragrance,  which 

Ges  ,  Ew.,  Maur.,  give  to  the  word  '^'^."117,  is  un^ 

tenable),  my  dispersed  people  (on  ri— ,  comp 
at  Micah  iv.  14).  bring  my  meat-offering;  tbe 


CHAPTER    III.  8-20. 


laved  heathen  become  like  a  wide  diaspora,  after 
they  have  received  pure  lips,  join  themselves  to 
the  ort;anism  of  the  peo])le  of  God  [Hpi/»/eineinde, 
ths  congregation  of  salvation],  as  I.<aiah  had  proph- 
esied, chap,  xviii.,  to  which  Zephaniah  refers  by  re- 
peating the  words  (comp.  Is.  xviii.  7).  [The 
Vulg.,  Luth.,  in  his  Comm.,  Marck,  Hitzig,  con- 
eider  the  words  ^^i"^^  and  ''3J^2".n3  as  two 
coordinate  nominatives.  Not  only  the  parallel. 
Is.  xviii.  7,  decides  in  favor  of  this  construction, 
but  also  the  context,  which,  in  ver.  11,  applies  only 
to  Israel.  Compare  also  Mai.  i.  11.  l)e  VVette, 
Hengstenberg,  Strauss,  Keil,  with  Luther's  trans- 
lation, take  the  words  as  accusatives  :  from  beyond 
the  rivers  of  Cush  will  they  bring  my  worshippers, 
my  dispersed  ones,  as  my  meat-oftering.  But  this 
thought  is  introduced  into  this  passage  only  from 
the  reference  to  Is.  Ixvi.  2U.  The  devotional-alle- 
gorical turn,  which  is  combined  with  this  view, 
that  the  heathen  will  convert  again  to  God  the  Is- 
raelites dispersed  among  them  (Hengstenb.,  Keil), 
is  entirely  foreign  to  the  passage,  since  the  dis- 
persed, according  to  the  entire  connection,  even 
though  Israelites  were  to  be  understood  by  them, 
could  not  after  all  be  considered  as  unconverted  ; 
and  the  act  of  bringing  them,  according  to  the 
usage  of  prophetic  language  (comp.  Is.  xlix.  22, 
and  above),  i9  an  act  of  homage,  and  not  of  con- 
version. There  are  other  interpretations,  namely, 
the  old  versions,  which  seem  to  rest,  in  part,  on 
different  readings,  comp.  in  Colin,  p.  56].  My 
meat-offering,  is  that  which  is  due  to  me,  comp. 
thy  vows  (Ps.  Ivi.  13  [12]). 

Vers.  11-13.  The  Restoration  of  the  Righteous  Rem- 
nant in  Israel.  In  that  day,  thou,  the  congrega- 
tion of  Israel,  wilt  not  be  ashamed  of  all  thy 
doings,  by  which  thou  hast  transgressed  against 
me,  and  on  account  of  which  it  is  impossible  for 
thee  to  enter,  as  thou  art,  into  the  perfected  sal- 
vation (ver.  7)  :  for  then  will  I  remove,  this  pre- 
diction is  proved  by  the  whole  connection  to  be 
fut.  exactum  ;  then  will  I  have  removed  from 
thee  those  that  rejoice  in  thy  pride  (comp.  Is. 
xiii.  3),  so  that  only  the  meek  are  left,  and  thou 

wilt  no  more  pride  thyself  (nn33,  fem.  inf.,Ges., 
45,  1,  b)  upon  my  holy  mountain.  Pride  would 
certainly  bring  shame  after  it  (Is.  iii.),  but  it  will 
be  destroyed. 

Ver.  12.  And  I  leave  in  the  midst  of  thee  a 
people  bowed  down  and  poor,  which,  because  it 

consists  of  D'^'3V.>  afflicted,  are  in  the  right  dispo- 
sition to  become  D'^'135.  [In  themselves  the  words 

"'P^  and  *1337,  which,  besides  this,  occurs  only  once 
in  the  singular,  do  not  point  out  the  antithesis  of 
the  external  pressure  and  of  the  internal  humility, 
but  they  meet  in  the  same  fundamental  meaning; 
compare,  in  opposition  to  Hengstenberg  and  the 
mterpreters  that  follow  him,  the  proof  given  bv 
Hupfeld  at  Ps.  ix.  13  ;  but  in  both  the  passages  of 
our  prophet  (ii-  3;  iii.  12)  that  antithesis  is  re- 
quii'ed  by  the  connection  and  parallelism].  They 
will  trust  in  the  name  of  Jehovah :  antithesis  to 
Hi.  2. 

Ver.  13.  The  remnant  of  Israel  will  do  no 
wrong,  like  God  Himself,  iii.  5 ;  Lev.  xix.  2,  and 
one  shall  not  find  in  their  mouth  the  tongue  of 
deceit,  which  is.  now  found  even  in  the  mouth  of 
their  prophets  (ver.  4).  But  they  will  feed,  in  the 
undisturbed  enjoyment  of  the  fulfilled  promise  they 
live  and  rejoice  in  the  good  shepherd  (Micah  vii. 


14),  and  Me  down,  comp.  ii.  7,  and  no  one  terri 
fles  them,  as  it  is  promised.  Lev.  xxvi.  o. 

Vers.  14-20.  The  N'W  Jerusalem.  As  in  Micah 
vii.  14  ff.,  the  prophecy  here  takes  a  turn.  It  has 
from  the  beginning,  and  especially  in  this  conclud- 
ing promise,  the  tenor  of  the  discourse  in  Mica! 
vi.  7,  a  tenor  removed  from  the  empirical  present 
and  raised  to  a  jubilation  over  the  accomplish 
ment ;  with  dithyrambic  psalm-tones  to  the  end, 
in  such  a  manner,  however,  that  by  means  of  the 
expression,  "  in  that  day,"  vers.  16,  19  f.,  the  pro- 
phetic character  is  maintained  :  "  Conjirmat  supe- 
riorem  doctrinam  exhortans  Jidcles  ad  tjaudium,  quasi 
jam  pra  oculis  erstaret,  quod  antea  pollicitus  est." 
Calvin.  Exult  thou  daughter  Zion  (comp.  Zech 
ii.  14;  ix.  9). 

Ver.  15.  Jehovah  has  removed  the  judg- 
ments :  "  everything  that  He  appoints  concerning 
them,"  the  judgments,  which  were  held  out  in  pros- 
pect for  the  great  day,  vers.  7,  5  ;  swept  away 
thine  enemy,  as  in  Micah  vii.  8,  a  common  desig- 
nation of  the  world-power  (Babylon,  Nimrod,  comp. 
Com.  on  Micah,  p.  51 )  in  all  its  relations.  The  King 
of  Israel  is  Jehovah  in  the  midst  of  thee,  as  Oba- 
diah  had  promised  for  this  time  of  salvation,  vei. 
20,  comp.  Zech.  ii.  14  f.  (Strauss,  Keil:  the  Xing 
of  Israel,  Jehovah,  is  in  the  midst  of  thee;  but  this 
method  of  placing  the  [noun  in]  apposition  before 
is  not  Old  Testament,  but  modern  usage.)  Thou 
wilt  see  evil  no  more,  neither  evil,  but  Him 
alone,  in  whom  is  all  good,  Hos.  iii.  5,  nor  sin,  ver. 
11,  for  the  Holy  One  does  not  suffer  it  in  his  pres- 
ence. Dent,  xxiii.  15  (14).  Therefore  thou  canst 
be  fearless,  ver.  16  f. :  On  that  day  will  men  say 
to  Jerusalem,  fear  not,  Zion !  —  Zion  is  in  the 
vocative  —  let  not  thy  hands  sink  down,  in  slack- 
ness and  despondency.  The  understanding  of  the 
address  as  a  designation  of  the  new  name  (they  shall 
call  Jerusalem  :  "Fear  not  Zion ;  let  not  thy  hands 
sink  down  I"  Ewald),  is  certainly  entirely  in  accord- 
ance with  the  prophetic  spirit,  but  it  is  introduced 
into  this  passage  from  Is.  Ixii.  11  fF.,  and  is  not  in- 
dicated by  anything.    According  to  this  view  Zion 

should  be  construed,  like  Jerusalem,  with  /.  The 
hands  have  become  slack  at  the  approach  of  the  day 
of  Jehovah,  Is.  xiii.  7  :  "  Omnis  vigor  ita  concidii 
metu,  ut  nullum  membrum  suo  fungatur  officio."  Cal- 
vin. The  requirement  that  the  slackness  shall 
cease,  shows  that  the  judgment  is  past. 

Ver.  17.  Jehovah,  thy  God,  is  in  the  midst 
of  thee,  a  mighty  one,  who  is  a  Saviour ;  comp. 

Jer.  xiv.  9.  The  "'"i^l  ^^.  Is.  ix.  5  (6),  prom- 
ised by  the  prophets,  is  Jehovah  Himself,  comp.  Is. 
X.  21.  He  rejoices  over  thee  in  dehght,  since 
He  sees  no  more  anything  impure,  and  the  old 
marriage  covenant  is  gloriously  restored  anew.  Is. 
Ixii.  5,  comp.  Hos.  ii.  19.     He  is  silent  (Anton, 

Hitzig,  following  the  LXX.  read  tt^^nqi  instead 
of  27"'"in^ :  He  does  a  new  thing)  in  his  love : 
a  silence  arising  no  longer  from  forbearance,  in  or- 
der to  punish  at  last  (Ps.  1.  21)  ;  but  because  He 
has  nothing  more  to  reprehend,  comp.  vers.  5  and 
11.  His  love  is,  then,  a  blessed  enjoyment  and 
nurturing.  A  beautiful  anthropopathy.  Calvin : 
"Dens  ergo  tuus  quietus  erit  in  amore  suo,  i.  e.,  eruiU 
hie  summie  delicice ;  hcec  erit  pracipua  Dei  tui  volup- 
tas,  ubi  te  fovebit ;  quemadmodum  si  quis  uxorem 
dilectissimam  foveat :  ita  etiam  Deus  tuus  quiescet  in 
amore  tuo."  He  will  rejoice  over  thee  with  re- 
joicing. Is.  Ixv.  19.  Bucer:  "Cum  amor  Dei  erga 
suos  verbis  humanis  explicari  nequeat,  quicqu.d  omntn- 


34 


ZEi^HAiNiAU. 


If)  amore  veliemens  est  etjiagrans,  illi  se  dominus  com- 
parat.  Mine  modo patrls,  nunc  matris  tunc  et  mariti 
affectum  sibi  sumit."  Both  silence  and  rejoicing  be- 
long to  love,  as  salvation  is  called  aii  eternal  rest 
and  an  eternal  praising  of  God.  And  in  this  re- 
joicing the  whole  Church  is  to  have  a  part. 

Ver.  18.     Those  that   mourn,  ^?^3  instead  of 

"•ai^   part.  Niph.   from     ^^  =  ^^1,  Olsh.,  192    a. 

Rem.  266  a ;  so  also  ni:i^3,  Lam.  i.  4  ;  Vulg.  : 
nugce .']  far  from  the  festive  assembly,  the  great 
festival  of  the  accomplishment  of  salvation  in  the 
New  Jerusalem,  which,  in  accordance  with  Hos. 
xii.  10(9),  is  also  represented,  in  Zech.  xiv.  16  ff., 
under  the  figure  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  as  be- 
ing the  most  joyful,  I  will  gather  together,  I 
will  gather  [them]  from  the  dispersion,  comp.  ver. 
20  (for  the  constr.  comp.  Ges.,  116,  I)  :  they  are 

of  thee  ("J^,  as  in  Ezra  ii.  59)   [see  also  Is.  Iviii. 

12  ;  Ps.  Ixviii.  27,  ]^  expressing  descent  or  origin 
—  C.  E.],  reproach  presses  upon  them,  literally, 

as  a  burden  does.     The  suffix  in  "7"^  ;.^    refers  to 

the  collective  idea    HviS  or  H^Utt?   existing  in 

"^li.^^  (Hitzig).  In  order  that  they  may  be  disbur- 
dened and  set  free,  the  destruction  of  the  enemies, 
in  whose  fetters  the  mourners  are  held,  is  neces- 
sary. 

Ver.  19.    Behold  at  that  time  I  will  deal  with 

(711^37  intransitive  with  emphatic  meaning  as  in 
Ez.  xxiii.  25;  xvii.  17;  Jer.  xviii.  23)  aU  thine 
oppressors,  and  that  in  such  a  way  that  I  wiU 
heal  the  limping  and  gather  together  the  dis- 
persed, (designations  of  the  Church  tried  with  suf- 
fering, from  Micah  iv.  6,  comp.  at  the  passage) 
and  make  them  a  praise  and  a  name  (as  it  was 
promised  in  Deut.  xxvi.  19)  in  every  land  of  their 
shame.  "  Praise  and  name,"  hendiadys  for  a 
celebrated  name,  which  is  praised,  so  that  the  orig- 
inal promise,  Gen.  xii.,  is  fulfilled,  and  all  nations 
long  to  be  invested  with  the  citizenship  of  the  new 
community.  Ps.  Ixxxvii.  Comp.  also  Zech.  viii 
23  and  Is.  iv.  1. 

Ver.  20.    At  that  time  will  I  bring  you,  —  the 
sentence,  like  all  the  statements  of  the  verse,  has 

something  compendious,  "  abbreviatory."  W?"!?? 
in  itself,  signifies  neither  to  bring  to  a  possession, 
to  rank  and  condition  (Ewald),  nor  to  lead  out  and 
in  (Keil).  Rather  the  whole  sentence  becomes 
clear  only  from  the  reference  to  Deut.  xxx.  3  ff., 
which  passage  the  prophet  quotes  as  one  known  to 
the  hearers.  To  this,  1113,  ver.  19,  comp.  Deut. 
xx.x..  4,  which  accords  nearly  quite  with  Micah,  has 
already  pointed ;  likewise  ySp  and  n^3li7  2^t!7, 
which  soon  follow,  point  to  it.  And  thence  the 
elliptical  H"*3S  receives  also  (xxx.  5)  the  significa- 
tion "  to  lead  home."  It  certainly  does  not  have 
the  same  meaning  in  the  passage  Is.  xiv.  2,  from 
which  Hitzig  and  Strauss  derive  this  meaning,  — 
there  the  object  of  the  action  is  directly  added  [to 
the  verb],  —  but  it  appears  in  closer  correlation  to 
this  verse  [20]  in  Jer.  xxxi.  8.     And  at  that  time 

X  will  gather  you.  Instead  of  the  verb  fin.  V^P^ 
the  infin.  with  the  suffix  is  chosen  as  in  Dan.  xi.  1, 
probably  to  produce  a  conformity  of  sound  with 
S^2W  (Hitzig).  For  I  will  make  you  a  name 
•  •  •  before  your  eyes,  saith  Jehovah.  The 
inclusion  of  Zcphaniah's  prediction  of  judgment 


reaches   back   to  the  beginning  of  that  of  Ob« 
diah. 

[Keil :  "  A  fresh  reason  is  assigned  for  the  pvom- 
ise,  by  a  further  allusion  to  the  glorification  ap- 
pointed for  the  people  of  God  above  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  coupled  with  tlie  statement  that  this 
will  take  place  at  the  turning  of  their  captivity,  i. 
e.,  when  God  shall  abolish  the  misery  of  his  people, 
and  turn  it  into  salvation  ("turn  the  captivity,"  as 
in  chap.  ii.  ver.  7),  and  that  "  before  \our  eyes  "  ; 
i.  e.,  not  that  "  ye  yourselves  shall  see  the  salvation 
and  not  merely  your  children,  when  they  have 
closed  your  eyes  "  ( Hitzig)  —  for  such  an  antith- 
esis would  be  foreign  to  the  context  —  butas  equiv- 
alent to  "  quite  obviously,  so  that  the  turn  in  events 
stands  out  before  the  eye,"  analogous  to  "  ye  will 
see  eye  to  eye"  (Is.  Hi.  8;  cf.  Luke  ii.  30).  This 
will  assuredly  take  place,  for  Jehovah  has  spoken 
it.  — C.  E.] 


DOOTRINAL   AND    ETHICAL. 

The  ways  of  God  lead  not  to  death,  but  to  life; 
for  He  is  a  faithful  God.  But  just  because  He  is 
faithful.  He  adheres  not  only  to  the  promises,  which 
He  has  made,  but  also  to  the  conditions  of  salvation, 
which  exist  in  his  holiness,  and  whose  substance  is 
embodied  in  the  law.  Accordingly  the  revealed 
agency  of  God  and  its  progress  to  accomplishment 
have  a  twofold  fundamental  character.  In  the 
first  place  there  is  a  work  of  judgment,  so  that  the 
whole  history  of  the  kingdom  is  exhibited  as  a 
process  of  judgment,  as  a  purifying,  cleansing, 
struggling,  and  demolishing  to  the  last.  In  the 
second  place  there  is  a  work  of  salvation,  a  new- 
creating  work,  so  that  the  same  history  is  pre- 
sented as  a  progressive  communication  of  the  di- 
vine life-germ,  advancing  to  the  complete  recrea- 
tion of  that  which  has  become  corrupt  by  sin.  To 
represent  only  one  of  these  views  as  the  central  one 
is  wrong ;  yea  they  do  not  in  reality  allow  them- 
selves to  be  so  much  as  wholly  separated ;  each  re- 
ceives its  internal  form  by  the  irradiating  lines  of 
the  other.  As  by  the  process  of  judgment  sal- 
vation shines  throughout  as  expiation,  forgive- 
ness, amnesty  to  the  elect,  so  by  the  process  of 
salvation  the  judgment  appears  as  sifting,  re- 
moving, and  pronouncing  death  upon  that  which 
is  unholy.  Both  views  form  a  perfect  complex, 
so  that  one  cannot  be  conceived  without  the  other. 
As  they  form  in  this  complexity  the  foundation 
of  all  prophetic  preaching,  so  do  they  also  that  of 
prophetic  eschatology.  Hence  their  separate  ele- 
ments are  clear  in  their  internal  organic  connec- 
tion. 

In  his  judicial  proceeding  it  is  not  enough  that 
God  should  overthrow  the  hostility  against  his 
kingdom  just  at  the  point  where  it  becomes  di- 
rectly actual  by  a  temporal  juncture  of  circum- 
stances ;  that  He  should  punish  the  heathen  pow- 
ers only  so  far  as  they  come  successively  and  singly 
into  historical  contact  with  the  Church ;  there 
must  be  a  complete  breaking  up  of  heathenism,  so 
far  as  it  is  a  system  of  positive  opposition  to  Him  ; 
in  this  the  judgment  culminates.  This  final  con- 
flict of  the  judgment,  briefly  announced  by  Zephan- 
iah,  ver.  8,  more  fully  exhibited  by  Ezekiel  xxxviii. 
f.,  and  Zechariah  xii.  f,  supposes  a  concentrated 
gathering  togctlier  against  the  kingdom  of  God  of 
all  the  powers,  which  have  not  yet  been  added  to 
it.  If  this  march  is  elsewhere  indicated  by  the 
announcement  that  the  nations  of  the  remotesl 
distance  will  be  incited  to  r  .sh  ag.i.ms'    ^^erusalem 


CllAI'TKR    III.    8-20. 


Zephaniah  indicates  it  by  thj  simple  emphasis  of 
the  wordb,  "gather  together." 

It  is  not  ineomprehensible  that  this  gathering 
together,  so  far  as  its  occun-cnce  is  a  necessity  re- 
quired by  the  history  of  the  kingdom,  does  not  lie 
in  the  sphere  of  free-will,  aad  that  on  this  account 
its  ultimate  cause  is  referred  to  God.  (Acts  of 
the  Apostles  iv.  28).  It  was  potentially  fulfilled 
by  the  struggle  of  Christ  with  the  combined  pow- 
ers of  heathenism,  and  of  Judaism  dissevered  from 
the  kingdom  of  God,  of  fanaticism,  epicureanism 
and  skepticism  (Pharisees,  and  priests,  Sadducees, 
HeroU,  and  Pilate),  avarice  and  inconstancy  (Ju- 
das, Peter,  and  the  multitude),  death,  and  the 
Evil  One.  These  are  the  idols  of  the  world,  and 
Its  centralized  power  is  destroyed  by  the  work  of 
redemption  (1  John  iii.  8).  But  the  realization 
of  this  ideal  in  history  which  the  prophecy  requires 
possibly  not  only  in  accordance  with  its  form,  but 
also  in  accordance  with  its  substance,  and  which 
cannot  be  conceived  witliout  the  actual  taming  of 
all  these  powers  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  is  still 
unaccomplished.  "  The  jn'ophetic  representation  of 
the  victory  over  the  antitheocratic  central  powei's 
reaches  into  the  most  distant  time,  and  we  must 
carefully  guard  against  any  weakening  by  rash  in- 
terpretation." Beck.  To  the  form  of  the  proph- 
ecy, on  the  other  hand,  belongs  the  expression, 
"  to  gather,"  so  far  as  it  seems  to  contain  a  local 
reference.  That  it  treats  of  a  gathering  on  the 
field  of  spiritual  conflict  is  evident  from  the  fact, 
that  after  this  decisive  battle,  the  separate  central 
heathen  powers,  which  have  been  subdued,  expe- 
rience and  become  partakers  of  God's  work  of 
grace  in  their  lands. 

This  work  of  grace  is  the  restoration  of  the  peo- 
ple [der  Volker,  the  peoples]  of  God  to  the  kingdom 
of  God  by  the  most  ancient  and  most  peculiar 
mark  of  God's  children,  calling  upon  the  name  of 
Jehovah  (Gen.  iv.  26).  The  Word  is  the  central 
idea  of  all  revelation  :  the  Word  on  the  part  of 
God  is  revelation  itself  in  the  widest  extent :  the 
"Word  on  the  part  of  man  is  the  concentrated  sym- 
bol of  the  life  of  the  human  soul.  ( Comp.  Oehler, 
art.,  "Name"  in  Herzog,  Real-Encyc,  x.  193 
fF.).  The  purity  of  the  lips  manifested  and  ef- 
fected by  the  calling  upon  the  name  of  God,  is  at 
the  same  time  purity  of  the  inner  man  (Matt. 
XV.  18).  The  other  constitutive  elements  of  di- 
vine worship  —  bowing  and  sacrifice  —  fall  in  with 
the  expression.  And  indeed  the  bloody  sacrifice 
is  abolished  after  the  offering  of  the  great  sacrifice 
i.  6,  with  which  the  reconciliation  is  connected 
(comp.  ver.  9  with  Is.  vi.  7  ;  also  Zech.  xiii.  1). 
The  offerings  of  the  heathen  world  joining  them- 
selves to  God  are  represented  by  the  mention  of 
the  meat-offering.  (Comp.  Mai.  i.  11.)  There  is 
at  least  tacitly  promised  thereby  an  essential 
change  of  the  Mosaic  worship  for  the  time  of 
salvation  —  as  it  is  connected  solidarily  with  the 
demolition  of  the  barrier  of  the  law  between  Is- 
rael and  the  nations,  between  Canaan  and  the 
distant  lands.  It  can  be  nothing  else  than  an 
entirely  new  order  of  things,  in  which  the  wor- 
shippers of  Jehovah,  "  the  congregation  of  his  dis- 
persed ones,"  even  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia, 
are  found  among  the  sons  of  Ham.  The  begin- 
ning of  the  fulfillment  is  related  by  Luke  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  viii.  26  ff.,  and  the  entire 
prophecy  of  this  book  chimes  in  with  his  narrative 
throughout.  (Comp.  Zeph.  ii.  5  with  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  viii.  26  ;  iii.  10  with  viii.  27;  iii.  9  with 
>-iii.  37  ;  iii.  17  with  viii.  39). 

If  an  entirely  new  creation  is  necessary  in  the 


heathen  world  to  effect  the  salvation,  then  the 
matter  of  moment  in  Israel  is  to  restore  by  purifi- 
cation the  pure  heart  of  the  poor  in  spirit,  of  the 
humble  life  of  faith,  which  procures  righteous- 
ness before  God.  The  new  Israel  will  be  es- 
sentially difterent  from  the  present  in  so  far  as 
tiiey  will  be  no  more  liable  to  punishment.  As  in 
the  ease  of  the  heathen  so  also  here  the  fact  of 
reconciliation,  of  purification,  and  of  forgiveness  in 
tacitly  i)resui)posed  (comp.  however,  ver.  14.)  al- 
though they  have  sinned  as  Israel,  as  a  nation, 
yet  in  the  time  of  salvation  there  will  be  a  rem 
nant  (comp.  Com.  on  Micah,  p.  32  ;  Com.  on  Na 
hum,  p.  36  ;  ante,  Introd.  p.  9),  which  is  not  swept 
off  together  with  the  others  in  the  judgment,  which 
has  also  obtained  forgiveness  and  accepted  it  in 
humility,  and  which  now  places  its  confidence  and 
hope  only  in  the  name  of  Jehovah.  But  the  proud, 
who  ])lace  their  confidence  in  themselves,  who  little 
consider  that  the  mountain,  on  which  they  celebrate 
their  self-sufficiency,  is  the  abode  of  the  "Holy  God, 
will  be  swept  away  in  the  purification.  It  also  be- 
longs to  the  complete  humility  of  Israel,  that  they 
should  abandon  the  narrowness  of  their  particular- 
istic pride.  In  this  way  this  fact  is  connected  with 
the  former,  by  which  it  is  worthy  of  consideration, 
that  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  is  placed  before 
the  restoration  of  Israel. 

Both  are  works  of  grace :  in  the  case  of  the  hea- 
then the  grace  lies  in  the  entirely  new  beginning  ; 
in  the  case  of  Israel,  in  the  fact,  that  after  they 
have  become,  according  to  human  view,  a  wretched 
miserable  remnant,  as  such  they  obtain  favor. 
Such  has  been  God's  way  from  the  beginning  :  the 
younger  sons  are  his  chosen  in  the  history  of  the 
patriarchs  And  kings  ;  when  Israel  had  pined  away 
in  the  bondage  of  Egypt,  Moses  arose  ;  when  to- 
ward the  end  of  the  time  of  the  judges  they  had 
almost  ceased  to  be  a  nation  (1  Sam.  xiii.  19), 
Samuel  came.  So  will  it  be  also  st  the  time  of 
the  consummation. 

So  also  the  marks  of  the  work  of  grac«  in  Israel 
and  among  the  heathen  agree.  The  signature  of 
the  new  Israel  is  given  with  the  word  of  truth,  as 
the  signature  of  the  dispersed  congregation,  gath- 
ered from  the  heathen,  is  given  with  the  word  of 
confession.  What  precedes  the  times  of  tHe  con- 
summation are  on  the  one  hand  the  times  of  igno- 
rance ;  and  on  the  other  the  times  of  falsehood. 
Falsehood  is  the  mortal  enemy,  which  resists  the 
development  of  the  kingdom  of  God  from  within; 
and  so  long  as  it  is  not  removed,  so  long  the  con- 
summation is  delayed.  John  viii.  44.  And  as 
among  the  heathen,  so  also  in  Israel  the  form  of 
the  new  kingdom  of  God  is  a  perfect  worship  of 
God:  the  consummation  bears  the  character  of  a 
festival.  So  had  Isaiah,  chap,  iv.,  already  de- 
scribed, after  the  type  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
the  achievement  of  salvation,  which  is  allotted  to 
the  remnant  of  Israel  after  the  judgment  and  rec- 
onciliation. 

But  this  is  the  preeminence  of  Israel  over  the 
heathen,  that  they  are  the  centre  of  the  new  king- 
dom, and  that  Jehovah  dwells  in  the  midst  of 
them  as  a  Mighty  One  and  a  Saviour.  The  hea- 
then come  into,  but  "  salvation  comes  from  the 
Jews,"  and  the  new  congregation,  although  'he 
heathen  (under  the  supposition,  that  they  ac- 
knowledge this  privileged  position  of  Israel  witb 
praise)  are  added  to  it,  is  essentially  the  continua- 
tion and  completion  of  the  O.  T.  Church.  It  is 
indeed  nothing  else  than  the  fulfillment  of  the 
promises  which  were  made  to  the  fathers,  and 
which    are   chartered    and    sealed    in    the    Torah 


^    /El^HANIAH. 


Only  that  this  continuation  and  completion  pass 
through  the  deep  rupture,  which  discloses  itself 
in  the  name  of  "  the  lame  and  the  outcasts;  "  and 
that  the  covenant  of  a  holy  and  blessed  love 
between  God  and  the  Israel,  whom  He  has  aban- 
doned in  all  lands  to  deserved  shame,  must  be  a 
new  covenant.  And  indeed  the  complete  and  most 
peculiar  nature  of  this  new  covenant  was  not 
exhibited  in  the  time  of  the  prophet :  it  will  itself 
be  a  revelation  and  that  a  visible  one :  before 
the  eyes  of  his  own,  God  will  carry  it  into  effect. 
The  Word  of  Gud,  which  was  communicated 
to  Moses  and  the  prophets,  and  which  his  Church 
has  heard  with  the  ear,  will  appear  to  the  eye 
in  the  fullness  of  times.  Heb.  i.  1  ff. ;  John  i. 
5,  9  f. 

Concerning  the  double  relation,  in  which  this 
prophecy  places  the  heathen  to  salvation  (vers.  8, 
l9  ;  9,  10)  compare  at  Nah.  i. 


HOMILETICAL. 

What  is  the  mission  of  the  church,  which  God  has 
made  meet  for  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light  ? 
(ver.  15). 

1.  We  should  in  the  immovable  unity  of  the 
Spirit,  who  is  mighty  in  us,  stand  fast  against  the 
assembled  powers  of  darkness,  until  they  are  over- 
come (ver.  8). 

2.  We  should  carry  on  the  contest  in  the  name 
of  God  and  with  pure  lips.  The  purity  of  the  lip 
is  acquired  and  preserved  by  the  constant  calling 
upon  God  (ver.  9,  a,  b). 

3.  Those  who  believe  should  not  press  shoulder 
against  shoulder,  nor  should  they  wish  to  be  one 
higher  than  another,  but  to  become  one  in  humble 
adoration  (ver.  9c.). 

4.  We  should  not  fix  our  hearts  on  the  posses- 
sions of  the  world,  but  remember  that,  in  this 
world,  we  are  a  scattered  church  of  God,  and  pre- 
pare the  offering  of  the  soul  for  the  eternal  home 
(ver.  10). 

5.  We  should  in  everything  hold  fast  to  the  one 
thing  needful.  Namely,  that  we  have  no  right  to 
glory  through  ourselves,  but  through  grace  against 
judgment  (vers.  11,  12). 

6.  We  should  keep  silent  at  the  purifications, 
by  which  grace  qualifies  individuals  for  the  in- 
heritance purchased  once  for  all  (vers.  11,  12-19 
a.  b).  .  .  . 

7.  We  should  wage  the  contest  of  the  light  with 
the  weapons  of  the  light  and  of  righteousness  on 
the  right  hand  and  on  the  left,  ver.  13  a,  and  with 
perfect  fearlessness,  as  the  flock  of  the  good  shep- 
aerd,  whom  all  enemies  are  too  few  to  resist  (ver. 
13  b,  16,  17  a). 

8.  We  should  always  be  joyful  in  the  Lord 
(vers.  14-18).  For  after  the  acts  of  reconciliation 
He  takes  delight  in  man  (ver.  17b). 

9.  We  should  walk  for  the  honor  of  God,  as 
those  who  know  that  it  is  God's  will,  that  his 
name  should  not  be  reviled  in  us,  but  praised  by 
Jie  nations  (ver.  19c). 

10.  We  should  keep  our  eyes  open  to  the  past 
ind  present  proofs  of  the  powerful  manifestation 
of  God,  and  to  the  signs  of  his  coming  (ver.  20. 
Luke  xii.  35). 

God's  purpose  is  a  missionary  purpose. 

Ver.  1.  A  purpose  of  external  missions  (vers.  8- 


0) 


X» 


Ver.  2.  A  purpose  of  internal  missions  (vers.  11- 


AU  prophecies  are  fulfilled  in  Christ. 

In  the  holiness  and  veracity,  in  the  strugglei 
and  sufferings,  in  the  humiliation  and  exaltation 
of  the  historical  Christ  everything  meets,  which  the 
prophets  recorded  of  the  deeds,  experiences,  and 
successes  of  Israel,  as  the  mediator  of  salvation 
and  of  the  coming  of  God  for  the  accomplish 
ment  of  salvation.  He  has  struggled  with  tha 
united  powers  of  darkness  and  vanquished  them : 
He  was  the  poor  and  humble  remnant,  who  did 
no  wrong  and  in  whom  God  was  present,  and 
whom  the  Father  loved  with  perfect  satisfaction.— 
Ver.  2.  In  the  advancing  acts  of  salvation,  by 
which  the  exalted  Christ  brings  his  eternal  acts  in 
his  body,  the  Church,  to  their  temporal  realization 
and  form,  is  fulfilled  continuously  what  the  proph- 
ets predicted  concerning  them,  that  not  merely  an 
individual,  but  a  congregation  of  the  dispersed 
people  of  God  should  be  the  heir  of  the  promise.  — 
At  ver.  8  f.  It  is  God's  right  to  gather  together 
the  heathen  for  wrath.  But  because  He  is  God 
grace  is  the  end  of  his  righteous  way.  Only 
those  who  are  near  to  Hira  thus  know  Him,  and 
hence  wait  confidently  upon  Him,  however  He  may 
walk  abroad  in  his  power  spreading  terror.  A 
pure  lip  is  the  mark  of  the  work  of  God's  grace. 
If  those  who  belong  to  Him  would  think  of  this, 
how  much  less,  not  merely  of  filthy  speech  and 
buffoonery,  which  are  not  becoming,  but  also  of 
contention,  quarreling,  anger,  and  unrighteousness 
would  there  be  in  the  world.  From  the  impurity 
of  the  lips  it  comes,  that  Christendom,  instead  of 
serving  Him  with  one  consent  \mit  einer  Schulter, 
with  one  shoulder]  becomes  more  unsettled  and 
rent  from  day  to  day.  —  Ver.  10.  There  were  and 
are  Christians,  so-called  worshippers  of  God,  who 
go  up  the  Nile  to  sell  the  heathen  as  slaves  to 
Christians.  A  meat-offering  of  abomination  (Is.  i. 
11  ff.).  Missions  should  make  amends  for  this.  — 
Ver.  11.  The  most  dangerous  desecration  of  the 
holy  place  and  of  the  holy  congregation  takes 
place  through  pride. —  Ver.  12.  It  is  painful  to 
the  human  heart,  that  it  must  first  become  com- 
pletely poor  and  humble,  before  it  learns  to  trust 
entirely  in  the  name  of  the  living  God.  This  is 
the  reason  that  the  hearts  rich  in  the  opinion  of 
the  world  are  richest  in  dead  idols. —  Ver.  13.  Be- 
hold there  the  marks  of  the  true  Church,  congre- 
gationes  Sanctorum,  Aug.  vii.  Truly  the  holiness 
of  the  saints  comes  from  the  grace  of  God,  and  so 
long  as  they  carry  in  themselves  the  flesh  of  sin 
their  perfection  is  piece-work.  But  whoever  he  be 
that  knowingly  and  willingly  offends  and  lies  and 
deceives  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  him  the 
word  of  God  excommunicates,  though  his  lips 
may  be  full  of  hypocritical  profession.  The  pure 
lip  is  the  lip  of  the  heart.  Such  sanctification  fol- 
lows, when  a  soul  feeds  tranquilly  in  the  pasture, 
which  God  has  given  to  it  in  his  Word.  Such 
souls  no  one  alarms.  In  proportion  to  the  inter- 
nal separation  from  the  Word,  in  that  proportion 
are  there  much  anxious  looking  around  and  des- 
pondency. —  Ver.  14  f.  The  enemy  of  the  Church 
is  in  the  last  instance  only  one  :  he,  whose  works 
God,  who  was  in  Christ  and  reconciled  the  world 
to  Himself,  has  destroyed.  The  legal  practice 
[Praxis]  produces  in  souls  fear  of  the  devil  as  a 
conqueror ;  the  prophetic  and  evangelic  inspires 
in  them  courage  against  him  as  a  vanquished  [en 
emy] .  —  Ver.  1 6  f.  Zion,  let  not  thy  hands  be- 
come slack.  How  much  is  there  everywhere  to 
do  !  and  how  must  it  invigorate  our  alacrity  for 
work,  when  we  know  that  God,  the  Mighty  One 
and  Saviour,  is  with  us,  and  that  He  looks  unon  oin 


CHAPTER   III.    8-20. 


37 


work  with  heartfelt  delig-ht.  —  Ver.  18.  Such  work 
Is  not  a  trouble,  but  a  feast.  It  is  a  disgrace  to  him, 
who  does  not  engasre  in  it.  Pray  everywhere  that 
God  may  turn  the  disgrace  of  the  afflicted,  who 
perish  far  from  work  in  his  kingdom,  and  gather 
them.  —  Ver.  19.  We  cannot  certainly  avoid  the 
necessity  of  beariny:  for  a  short  time  the  derision 
and  abuse  of  the  world  for  the  Lord's  sake.  But 
it  is  a  paltry  view  to  set  this  as  the  final  object  and 
result  of  living  Christianity  upon  earth.  By  do- 
ing so  we  close  our  eyes.  The  final  object  which 
we  must  always  keep  present  to  ourselves,  is  that 
men  should  learn  to  glorify  God  in  his  own.  But 
for  that  active  Christianity  is  necessary.  He  who 
strives  after  the  object  in  another  self-chosen  way, 
whether,  whilst  abandoning  the  Gospel,  he  seeks 
to  gain  the  praise  of  the  crowd,  whether  whilst 
turning  his  back  upon  his  brethren,  only  hinders 
the  work  of  God  and  impedes  it.  —  Ver.  20.  How 
many  who  belong  to  the  Israel  of  God  by  baptism 
are  prisoners  in  the  world.  Cease  not  to  pray  for 
your  brethren  that  He  may  restore  them  before 
your  eyes.  For  this  the  word  of  promise  is  given, 
that  the  fiiith  of  those  vrho  labor  in  this  work  may 
be  strengthened  by  it ;  and  that  we  who  are  so 
ready  to  say,  their  destruction  is  at  hand,  may 
learn  to  take  shame  to  ourselves  in  view  of  the 
faithfulness  and  long-suffering  following  of  God, 
who  speaks  there. 

Luther  :  Ver.  8.  The  gathering  together  of 
the  kingdoms  and  nations  is  effected  through  the 
word  of  the  Gospel,  which  has  been  proclaimed  to 
everyone  throughout  the  world. — Ver.  12.  He 
describes  the  Christian  Church  with  few,  but  yet 
with  most  beautiful  words  ;  namely,  that  it  is  a 
poor,  needy,  and  oppressed  little  people,  that  calls 
upon  the  Lord  and  trusts  in  Him,  which  is  the 
highest  righteousness  and  the  most  exalted  wor- 
ship. This  is  the  true  glory  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  that  we  are  joyfully  and  in  peace  reconciled 
to  God  through  Jesus  Christ.  Not  that  there  is 
no  longer  any  cross  reserved  for  us  :  not  that  the 
world  and  Satan  will  not  lie  in  wait  for  us  ;  but, 
provided  that  against  all  this  our  conscience  is  pre- 
served secure,  we  need  not  care  for  it.  This  is  the 
work  of  the  power  of  God  in  us.  —  Ver.  20.  Also 
the  apostles  and  martyrs  came  at  last  to  honor  be- 
fore God  and  the  world,  who  before  were  consid- 
ered by  the  world  a  despised  people ;  now  their 
memory  sounds  with  thanksgiving,  like  that  of 
John  Huss,  and  of  all  who  have  suffered  persecu- 
tion and  death  for  the  glory  of  God.  But  the 
memory  of  the  ungodly  perishes. 

Starke  :  The  fulfillmeut  of  this  text  is  gener- 
ally placed  in  the  times  of  the  Apostles.  Though 
indeed  this  interpretation  in  part  is  not  to  be 
denied,  yet  it  cannot  be  granted  that  these  proph- 
ecies attained  their  full  measure  of  fulfillment  at 
that  time.  —  Ver.  8.  If  we  are  a  long  time  chas- 
tised for  our  sins,  we  should  remember,  that  we 
also  were  a  long  time  disobedient  to  God,  when 
He  warned  us  against  sin  ;  and  also  that  it  is  no 
wonder,  if  He  does  not  soon  answer  us,  because 
we  would  not  listen  soon  to  Him.  —  Ver.  10.  Be 
lievers  present  themselves  as  a  gift,  when  tliey  put 
themselves  entirely  under  obedience  to  God  and 
mortify  the  old  man.  Although  the  unbelieving 
Tews  still  continue  in  such  pride  of  their  relation 
to  God,  yet  those  objects  of  pride  will  be  put  away 
from  them  at  the  time  of  their  conversion,  and 
hey  will  perish  with  Antichrist,  to  whom  they  be- 
long. Though  pride  is  displeasing  to  God  every- 
where, yet  it  is  particularly  repugnant  to  Him, 
when  we  are  proud    in  the  service  of  God.  —  Ver. 


12.  The  Christian  Church  is  not  to  be  estimated 
according  to  its  external  appearance. —  Ver.  13. 
Although  the  pious  have  their  infirmity  in  them, 
nevertheless  they  have,  according  to  the  inwarr" 
man,  pleasure  in  God's  law.  Where  true  faitn 
exists,  good  works  also  must  infiiUibly  follow. 
Those  who  have  been  justified  by  faith  have  peace 
with  God  and  with  his  creatures. —  Ver.  14.  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  right- 
eousness, etc.,  Rom.  xiv.  17.  —  Ver.  17.  There  is 
joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  much 
more  over  the  fiict  that  entire  Christendom  is  rec- 
onciled to  God.  He  will  be  silent  in  his  love,  i.  e., 
He  will  be  no  crier ;  He  will  not  deal  harshly  with 
and  utterly  cast  down  the  terrified  consciences  of 
those  who  make  a  false  step ;  He  will  not  mag- 
nify trifling  faults  ;  in  a  pharisaic  manner  make 
camels  out  of  gnats,  and  for  that  reason  make  the 
erring  to  be  ill  spoken  of,  that  every  one  may  fear 
to  associate  with  them  ;  but  his  care  will  be  exer- 
cised to  raise  them  up  again  and  to  win  their  heart 
to  him.  As  He  dealt  with  Peter,  the  thief,  etc., 
would  that  all  teachers  would  also  deal  with  poor 
erring  sinners. 

RiEGER :  Ver.  8  fF.  When  causes  of  judgment 
greatly  multiply  on  one  side,  then  God  grants 
largely  on  the  other  side  much  that  is  conducive 
to  a  clear  understanding  of  his  word.  In  the 
most  doubtful  times  we  must  also  not  just  con- 
sider ourselves  and  our  own  as  merely  a  purifying 
offering  of  the  judgments  that  befall  us,  for  God 
can  also  thence  prepare  for  himself  fit  instruments 
for  his  purposes.  —  Ver.  1 1  fF.  0,  that  all  the 
trouble  to  establish  their  own  righteousness,  0 
that  all  glorying  in  the  flesh,  were  brought  to  an 
end  ;  that  we  may  enjoy  rest  without  fear,  when 
the  father  of  lies  shall  be  imprisoned,  and  his 
[power  of]  seducing  shall  be  put  down  with  him  ! 
—  Ver.  14.  It  is  something  great  when  the  joy  in 
God  and  in  his  grace  of  those  that  are  pardoned, 
and  God's  joy  in  the  fulfillment  of  his  counsel, 
shall  coincide.  He  to  whom  all  this  seems  too 
great,  let  him  only  look  at  the  great  seal,  which  is 
appended  to  the  whole :  thus  saith  the  Lord.  _He 
can  do  great  things  and  execute  them  speedily, 
when  the  unbelief  of  men  or  weak  faith  sees  yet 
no  preparation  for  them.  Remember,  Lord,  this 
Thy  word  to  Thy  servants,  upon  which  thou  hast 
caused  us  to  hope. 

BucER  :  At  ver.  8.  Things,  whose  intrinsic  na- 
ture it  is  to  go  far  from  God,  of  which  one  prop- 
erly says,  when  they  perish,  that  they  are  gathered 
again  to  Him.  —  Ver.  9.  Whoever  acknowledges 
God  in  truth  can  do  nothing  else  than  love  and 
proclaim  Him. 

HocKE :  Heart,  mouth,  and  works  meet  in  the 
appellation,  pure  lips.  So  long  as  there  is  agree- 
ment among  these  three  hypocrisy  has  no  place  in 
men.  But  if  the  heart  is  not  purified,  then  the 
lips  and  works  are  also  unclean,  Matt.  vi.  22,  23. 

BuRCK :  The  concordant  worship  of  God  cor- 
responds to  the  pure  lip.  As  once  a  counterfeit 
unanimity  produced  multiplicity  and  confusion  of 
languages,  so  unity  and  purity  of  speech  are  about 
to  produce  and  maintain  true  unity. 

Pfaff  :  Ver.  1 1 .  Those  who  glory  in  the  true 
church  and  are  still  unconverted,  are  proud  saints, 
who  are  an  abomination  to  the  Lord. 

AuGOSTiNE  :  Ver.  13.  There  is  a  differenee  be- 
tween peccantes  and  peccatores,  just  as  there  is  be- 
tween scribentes  and  scriptores. 

BncER:  Ver.  15.  What  we  suffer  is  nothing 
but  judgment,  /.  e.,  merited  evil,  and  no  one  :an 
turn  it  from  us,  but  the  I-ord,  who  sends  it.     H« 


:>« 


ZEPHANlAii. 


who  apprehends  this  by  faith  will  learn  to  bear  in- 
juries and  will  be  broken  by  no  suffering. 

Calvin:  Ver.  16.  On  that  day  He  says.  But 
we  must  wait  as  long  as  it  pleases  God  to  disci- 
pline his  people  under  the  cross.  All  men  might 
have  rest  from  nature  and  suffer  nothing  bad, 
therefore  He  sets  right  the  too  great  precipitation, 
which  we  are  accustomed  to  have  under  chastise- 
ment. 

Bdceb  :  Ver.  17.  All  blessings  are  in  God.  He 
dwells  in  the  Church,  so  it  has  nothing  further  to 
desire. 

Calvin  :  What  seems  more  alien  to  the  glory 
of  God,  than  to  exult  like  a  man  in  the  pleasure 
of  love.  But  we  would  rest  in  Him,  and,  as  He 
weans  us  from  the  world,  strive  after  this  one 
thing,  that  He  would  vouchsafe  to  us  his  favor : 
this  is  no  derogation  from,  but  a  proof  of  his 
honor  and  glory.  This  is  his  chief  glory  —  his 
unending  and  transcendent  goodness,  by  which 
He  has  embraced  us  and  conducted  us  to  the  end. 

Bdcer  :  Ver.  19.  As  a  virtuous  wife,  who  loves 
her  husband  sincerely,  would  a  thousand  times 
rather  die  than  forsake  him,  or  violate  her  fidelity 
to  him,  and  yet  does  many  things  which  she 
knows  are  displeasing  to  him,  so  it  is  with  the 
hearts  of  the  pious :  they  cannot  apostatize  from 
God,  and  they  love  Him  above  everything  else,  and 
yet  the  flesh  is  not  entirely  delivered  from  its 
weakness.    There  is  no  one,  whom  thou  wooldst 


not  be  obliged  to  censure  for  many  faults,  no  one 
who  does  not  constantly  need  the  physician  Christ, 
no  one  to  whom  we  must  not  preach  repentance. 
The  more  the  truly  pious  apprehend  that  they  are 
constantly  in  need  of  Christ,  the  more  ardent  will 
be  their  love  to  Him. 

ScHMiEDER  :  The  lame  and  the  cast  out  are  the 
wretched  and  scattered,  who  limping  after  the 
flock,  remain  behind,  or  are  driven  into  flight  and 
scattered  by  the  inroad  of  the  wolf  —  Ver.  20. 
"  Thus  has  God  spoken." 

AuGOSTiNE  :  So  great  is  the  lepth  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  that  if  one  would  apply  himself  to  their 
study  alone  from  childhood  to  declining  age  with 
the  use  of  all  his  time  and  the  greatest  industry,  he 
would  be  able  to  speak  of  daily  progress.  Not  as 
though  any  one  by  diligence,  however  great,  at- 
tained to  know  that  which  is  necessary  to  salva- 
tion. But  if  one  has  grasped  this  by  faith,  and 
holds  it  fast,  without  which  a  pious  and  correct 
life  is  impossible,  there  always  remains  still  for 
those  who  continue  advancing  farther  such  a  great 
fullness  of  what  is  mysterious  and  veiled,  such  an 
exalted  wisdom  in  the  matter  and  words,  that  pre- 
cisely the  longer,  the  more  zealously,  and  with  the 
more  ardent  desire  for  learning,  one  continues  in 
them,  the  better  he  understands  what  Sirach  haa 
said  (xviii.  6) :  a  man  when  he  has  even  done  hia 
best,  has  scarcely  begun  ;  and  if  he  thinks  that  h« 
has  completed  his  task,  he  is  still  far  from  it. 


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